A Florida middle school student faces adult charges after deputies say he made homemade guns and explosives while plotting a robbery with a classmate.
A Florida middle school student was arrested in the Florida middle school arrest case after authorities say he built homemade guns and explosives while planning a robbery with a friend. Julian Davis, 14, was charged as an adult and remains in custody as investigators say the case exposed a far larger threat than a single alleged theft.
The investigation began on April 27 after St. Johns County sheriff’s deputies received a tip that Davis and his 13-year-old friend had been messaging on Telegram about holding someone at gunpoint to rob them, according to an arrest report. Authorities said the messages included discussion of how to build a shotgun and musket and how to get zip ties. Sheriff Robert Hardwick and federal investigators laid out the case publicly on Friday, saying the alleged conduct could have prevented a tragedy at Switzerland Point Middle School and in the wider community.
Deputies arrested Davis on April 30. He faces multiple gun and explosive offenses as an adult, and both boys were charged with conspiracy to commit a robbery with a gun. The younger boy was not charged as an adult. Davis is being held at the St. Johns County Jail on $240,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty and is set to be arraigned again next month.
Between April 27 and 30, deputies and federal agents searched Davis’ home several times. They say they found three homemade firearms, ammunition, suspected explosive components and makeshift handcuffs. Investigators also recovered handwritten notes showing weapon construction and an apparent drawing of what looked like a Molotov cocktail. Photos released by the sheriff’s office showed additional items that authorities considered troubling, including a tactical vest marked with white supremacy drawings, a copy of Brenton Tarrant’s manifesto, a U.S. Army improvised munitions handbook and “The Anarchist Cookbook.”
“A Florida middle school student faces adult charges after deputies say he made homemade guns and explosives while plotting a robbery with a classmate.”
Hardwick said the boys had planned to rob someone known as CJ, though investigators have not determined who that person is. He said Davis’ online activity and the material found at his home pointed to a broader danger. According to Hardwick, Davis had a fixation on people who carried out mass school shootings and mass stabbings, and the sheriff said the boy appeared to want to emulate them. Davis’ attorney, Jill Barger, rejected that picture and said her client never thought about harming anyone.
Barger also raised concerns about Davis’ confinement, saying he had spent four months “in an empty pod” at the jail. She said he had become frightened and depressed and argued that the state has not provided him the support he needs. She also faulted the sheriff’s office for making the charges public, saying the announcement was designed to influence jurors before trial. Hardwick, for his part, said the public disclosure was necessary because of the scope of the evidence and the risk the investigation uncovered.
The 13-year-old friend spent 21 days in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice before being released, the sheriff said. Neither boy will be allowed to return to their school, and St. Johns County School District Deputy Superintendent Paul Abbatinozzi said there was never a direct threat to Switzerland Point Middle School. The tip first came through FortifyFL, the school-safety reporting system created after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. The case shows how quickly online talk, homemade weapons and school safety concerns can collide, and why parents, teachers and law enforcement across America are watching these warning systems closely.
Frequently asked questions
What did authorities say led to the arrest?
Investigators say a tip revealed Telegram messages about holding someone at gunpoint to commit a robbery. That led to searches of Davis’ home and his arrest on April 30.
What did deputies say they found at the home?
Authorities said they found three homemade firearms, ammunition, suspected explosive components, makeshift handcuffs, notes on weapon construction and an apparent Molotov cocktail drawing.
How are the two boys being charged?
Davis, who is 14, was charged as an adult with multiple gun and explosive offenses. Both boys were charged with conspiracy to commit a robbery with a gun, but the 13-year-old was not charged as an adult.
What did the school district say about the threat?
St. Johns County School District Deputy Superintendent Paul Abbatinozzi said there was never a direct threat to Switzerland Point Middle School. Neither boy will be allowed to return to the school.
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