J.D. Dickerson Deemed Safe After Suspicious Person Threat

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The Toombs County Sheriff’s Office investigated reports of a suspicious person lurking near J.D. Dickerson Primary School on Wednesday morning, August 27, and deemed the location safe after learning that the individual was merely returning a BB-gun to a family member after a squirrel hunt.

The Vidalia City School Administration contacted Toombs County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jason Mc-Coy at 7:22 a.m. on August 27 in regards to a suspicious person lurking near the J.D. Dickerson Primary School campus. According to the caller, a black male – later identified as Ravon Jackson, 59, of Vidalia – who was wearing a white tank top, shorts, and a fanny pack, was standing at the edge of the school property with what appeared to be a long gun. The caller advised that Jackson had been seen near the intersection of Estelle Drive and North Street near the school staff parking lot, where the school bus dropoff line is located.

School personnel were instructed to hold students on the bus until law enforcement could come to investigate the situation.

When deputies arrived, they found Jackson located one block north of the School on Fifth Avenue, and discovered the weapon was not a firearm, but a BBgun. Jackson told deputies that he lives at Ramonia Apartments and was walking to a family member’s residence to return the BBgun, as he and his cousin had previously been using the gun to hunt squirrels.

It was determined that Jackson had no intention of being a danger to the school.

Deputies explained the safety concern that was created from the incident in an effort to avoid similar issues in the future.