Student Faces Charges After Climbing on West Hall High School Roof, Prompting Lockdown

A 15-year-old student at West Hall High School (WHHS) in Oakwood, GA, is facing misdemeanor charges after climbing onto the school’s roof Thursday morning, leading to a brief lockdown of both the high school and neighboring West Hall Middle School.

The incident began around 9 a.m. on April 24, 2025, when the assistant principal reported seeing a suspicious male with a backpack on the roof. As the assistant principal and the school resource officer (SRO) were on the phone, the individual jumped off the roof and fled across the practice field towards a wooded area.

School officials and the SRO pursued the individual while the WHHS principal initiated a lockdown of the high school. As a precautionary measure, West Hall Middle School was also placed on an exterior lockdown. A K9 tracking team from the Oakwood Police Department and Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies responded to assist in the search.

School officials quickly identified the individual as a 15-year-old student. HCSO investigators went to the student’s home, and his mother instructed him to turn himself in. The student was subsequently transported to Hall County Juvenile Court and faces misdemeanor charges of disruption of a school and criminal trespass. The lockdowns at both schools were lifted after the student was apprehended.