BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. – Eight days after she kept an armed intruder from harming any of her students, School Resource Officer Carolyn Gudger said she’s happy to be back at work and will try to keep her newfound fame from going to her head.
“I’m so glad to be back,” said Gudger, who returned to Sullivan Central High School on Tuesday after being on administrative leave for a week. “It’s been an experience today – I’ve gotten a lot of hugs.”
On Aug. 30, Thomas Richard Cowan, a 62-year-old Kingsport resident who had a history of problems with law enforcement, showed up at Central during the second class period carrying two handguns and several rounds of ammunition. When Cowan pointed one of his weapons at Principal Melanie Riden, Gudger distracted the intruder and moved him to an area where he couldn’t harm students or school personnel.
Three county sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene moments later, Sheriff Wayne Anderson said, and were forced to shoot and kill Cowan after he refused to surrender his weapon at the end of a tense standoff.
“I’m just glad I was able to react in the way that I did,” said Gudger, who is barred from commenting in more detail about the incident pending the results of a Tennessee Bureau of Investigations probe into the shooting.
But she could talk about what’s happened since the standoff, which put her in the national media spotlight and clogged her Facebook account with 365 messages of support the day after the shooting. Her actions also prompted the design of a few T-shirts bearing the phrase “The Gudge.”
A handful of students and Central employees were wearing the shirts Tuesday night when the Sullivan County Board of Education formally recognized Gudger, giving her a plaque that honors her conduct during the incident.
“You are appreciated,” Director of Schools Jubal Yennie said after board members presented Gudger with the plaque.
Though she appreciates the attention her actions have garnered, Gudger said, she normally likes “to be in the background” and isn’t quite sure what to make of her newfound celebrity.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Yennie also read a letter publicly commending Riden and other school officials for calling 911 and issuing an immediate lockdown to ensure that the high school’s 1,100 students were out of harm’s way.
Riden said things at her high school are now finally getting back to normal, following Cowan’s visit to the school Monday and the Friday death of senior Bradley Brock, who was fighting cancer.
“We’re just glad to be getting back to normal and to have Officer Gudger back with us,” Riden said, adding that Central’s students and staff are planning to honor their school resource officer with a special ceremony Friday.
gmclean@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2518
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