OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In his first court appearance, John Channels heard the charges against him.
Five counts of terroristic threats and one count of the use of a deadly weapon (firearm) to commit a felony.
In May, Channels was hired to conduct an active shooter drill at Catholic Charities. Prosecutors said he shot blanks from a gun toward actors smeared with fake blood.
Court documents reveal many employees were unaware of the drill, including the police.
"Police came, they didn't know this was happening. They thought it was a real active shooter, there were people calling 911," Don Kleine, Douglas County Attorney, said.
But Channels' attorney, Erin Wetzel said Channels told her otherwise.
"He claims that he did submit paperwork to Omaha police department, Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the Nebraska State Patrol. He dropped it off at the front desk and said there is footage to back up that he did that," Wetzel said.
Wetzel said she will be looking into what happened after.
"I think it is going to very important to figure out where the responsibility for that drill goes down. Does it lie with the directors of Catholic Charities or does it lie with him, the person who was hired by them to conduct this drill," Wetzel said.
Catholic Charities said in a statement they regret selecting him for the training.
The judge set the bond at $300,000 dollars with a preliminary hearing on September 30.
"From my previous conversations with him, I think he will likely have to wait in custody until the preliminary hearing unless he has some individuals who are able to help him come up with that amount," Wetzel said.
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