School was aware of teen accused in shooting plot

RUTLAND, Vt. – The acting principal at a high school where a former student is accused of planning a massacre says a threat assessment was begun for the teen but was never completed.

Jason Rasco testified Tuesday that 18-year-old Jack Sawyer showed a strong interest in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting during his time as a Fair Haven Union High School student.

He says Sawyer did a project on Columbine and created a Facebook page using one of the shooters’ surnames.

Rasco said that in 2016, a threat assessment was done on Sawyer but was never completed after Sawyer ran away and dropped out.

Sawyer wrote in a diary that he had plans “to shoot up” his former high school.

Sawyer has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges.