Daniel Douglas Croslin, 19, who planned a school shooting at Conway High School, has been temporarily moved from the Faulkner County Detention Center to the Arkansas State Hospital after reports by a jailhouse nurse that Croslin attempted to choke and harm himself on several occasions.
Croslin was arrested Aug. 22 after admitting plans for a school shooting to staff at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where he was receiving treatment after overdosing on hydrocodone earlier that month.
Croslin told UAMS staff he planned to shoot up Conway High School because he was bullied in school and wanted other students to suffer, according to the Conway police report.
Following his release from UAMS, he was arrested by the Conway Police and held on a $1 million bond.
Croslin also noted that he had access to guns at both of his parents’ houses and said he wanted to use an AR-15-style rifle to shoot up the school.
A report written by Conway detective Andrew Johnson mentions that Croslin claimed he had been having friends make purchases of materials”needed to make pipe bombs, and that Croslin had one or two notebooks with plans outlined to carry out an attack on April 20, 2019, which would mark the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.
Croslin claimed he was not planning to act alone and was wanting to recruit former CHS student Seth Stone.
Stone, now 20, made numerous threats on social media platforms such as Instagram when he was 18. An investigation was launched when a student informed a parent of the disturbing threats posted. The father then went to Conway Police to file a report in February 2017.
The posts on Stone’s Instagram involved video clips of him shooting various guns at a gun range and photos of himself holding an assault rifle with the caption: “Best senior prank ever 2.0!”
Court documents show that Stone was arrested and pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree terroristic threatening Aug. 2, 2017. However, according to the Log Cabin Democrat, the charges were “later formally [reduced to]falsely making a terrorist threat,” a Class D felony.
“He had a dark sense of humor, but he always made it clear that he was never serious,” said UCA sophomore Dawson Brown, a former friend of Stone’s. “He was definitely someone who would be there for [me and our friend group], but [outside our friend group]he didn’t really have any other friends.”
Brown said other students joked that Stone resembled a school shooter and ultimately Stone went along with the persona.
“People said that he looked like a school shooter because he would always wear a leather jacket and gloves. He just went along with it because that’s all he knew to do to fit in,” Brown said.
The Log Cabin Democrat reported that Sharon Stone, Stone’s mother, also testified in court that he had “always showed compassion to others” and “his dark threats most likely stemmed from him being bullied in school.”
Brown maintained that Stone and Croslin never formally knew each other as friends, and if the plan was carried out, Stone wouldn’t have partaken in it.
“Seth knew Daniel, but he wasn’t friends with him,” Brown said. “I’ve known [of]Daniel since kindergarten, so this whole thing has come as a shock to me. But I can’t say [Daniel] didn’t have plans because I didn’t personally know him well.”
Notebook entries belonging to Croslin, which were investigated by the UAMS police department and looked into by the FBI, detailed statements about his fascination with the Columbine school shooting, the Parkland school shooting and the Oklahoma City bombing, according to an FBI affidavit.
Other pages covered Croslin’s plans of “specifically killing [certain]people” and hopes of “get[ting]a medal from the president for doing it.” One entry, written June 2017, ends with the chilling phrase: “I promise.”
Croslin’s mother, Melissa Waller, reached out to the Log Cabin Democrat to show that she stands behind her son, stating, “He is suffering with mental illness. He was bullied in school. He is a fun, loving and a great kid that lost his way.”
Brown said he’s frustrated with how Stone was pulled into the Croslin investigation without a connection to Croslin’s plans.
“If you knew that that’s just [Stone’s] brand of humor and he [repeatedly told]you that he’s not going to do it, then why couldn’t you just leave [him]alone?” Brown said.
Due to the ongoing investigation, Heather Kendrick, the Conway Public School District’s communication specialist, would only comment that “both teens are no longer students at Conway High School.”
Court documents show that Stone was ultimately sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $1,500 fine. He also must complete 400 hours of community service under the First Offender Act.
Croslin, on the other hand, is scheduled to appear in the Faulkner County Circuit Court Nov. 13 for a pretrial hearing.
Brown maintained that Stone and Croslin never formally knew each other as friends, and if a plan was made, Stone wouldn’t have partaken in it.
“Seth knew Daniel, but he wasn’t friends with him,” Brown said. “I’ve known [of]Daniel since kindergarten, so this whole thing has come as a shock to me. But I can’t say [Daniel] didn’t have plans because I didn’t personally know him well.”
Notebook entries belonging to Croslin, which were investigated by the UAMS police department and looked into by the FBI, detailed statements about his fascination with the Columbine school shooting, the Parkland school shooting and the Oklahoma City bombing, according to an FBI affidavit.
Other pages covered Croslin’s plans of “specifically killing [certain]people” and hopes of “get[ting]a medal from the president for doing it.” One entry, written June 2017, ends with the chilling phrase: “I promise.”
Croslin’s mother, Melissa Waller, reached out to the Log Cabin Democrat to show that she stands behind her son, stating, “He is suffering with mental illness. He was bullied in school. He is a fun, loving and a great kid that lost his way.”
Brown said he’s frustrated with how Stone was pulled into the Croslin investigation without a connection to Croslin’s plans.
“If you knew that that’s just [Stone’s] brand of humor and he [repeatedly told]you that he’s not going to do it, then why couldn’t you just leave [him]alone?” Brown said.
Due to the ongoing investigation, Heather Kendrick, the Conway Public School District’s Communication specialist, would only comment that “both teens are no longer students at Conway High School.”
Court documents show that Stone was ultimately sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $1,500 fine; he also must complete 400 hours of community service under the First Offender Act.
Croslin, on the other hand, is scheduled to appear in the Faulkner County Circuit Court Nov. 13 for a pretrial hearing.
