The man accused of making threats to school officials in Oneida County bought a semi-automatic rifle the day school officials learned of the threat, according to court documents.
Adam Bauman, 18, made his first court appearance on Friday.
Around 1:30 p.m. on June 7th, Lakeland Union High School got a call from a woman.
According to court documents, she told school two school officials that she had seen a picture of an assault rifle on a message from Adam Bauman. There were also messages from Bauman asking about the former principal names from two schools within the Lakeland Union School District.
The woman told the school officials that she didn’t want Bauman to get in trouble. That he had a difficult childhood and that he has been depressed.
She also thought they should give Bauman his diploma.
As the school officials relayed this information to police, they told investigators Bauman had been expelled from the high school in 2019 for an incident where Bauman went down the hallway and pretended to shoot into classrooms.
Law enforcement throughout Oneida County began looking for Bauman.
They were able to make contact with his mother who said she had taken Bauman to Rhinelander to buy a gun. She tried to buy him a handgun but couldn’t because she has an out of state license.
Bauman couldn’t buy the handgun. In Wisconsin, you can possess a handgun at 18, but need to be 21 to buy one due to federal law.
Instead, Bauman bought a semi-automatic rifle, which is legal under state law, with a 60-round magazine with cash.
Police later found and arrested Bauman at a home in Woodruff where they also found the rifle, a shotgun, and various ammunition.
Bauman told police he sent pictures of the gun to people on Snapchat.
He also admitted to making some “dark comments” about the rifle to two other friends who live out of the area.
When asked about the comments made about the principals, Bauman did not remember making those comments.
Police say they found concerning messages over the last few years on his phone, including ones that Bauman was researching Columbine. There was also an exchange with someone via SnapChat where they shared the Buffalo mass shooting video that had been livestreamed by the shooter and made comments about what Wisconsinites would do.
Police say the case is still under investigation.
Bauman appeared in Oneida County Court Friday. He’s charges with making terrorist threats.
Judge Michael Bloom set his cash bond at $50,000.
Conditions of his bond include no guns and no contact with any school district employees in Oneida County.