A plea has been entered by the second suspect charged with threatening to shoot up a Whitmore Lake school building.

18-year-olds Michael Gage Perks and Eric Gordon Deaton, both of Whitmore Lake, were charged in Washtenaw County Trial Court on charges of false report or threat of terrorism after the incident in March. During a pre-trial hearing Monday for Perks, he pleaded guilty under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which will erase his conviction if he successfully completes probation. He will be sentenced January 7th.

Northfield Township Police received information March 13th from Superintendent Tom DeKeyser regarding a threat to “shoot up a school building” within the district, which was forced to close the following day as officers investigated. Deaton and Parks were identified as suspects. Police say they recovered a firearm at Perks’ home.

Perks was a student at FlexTech High School in Brighton at the time, but was a one-time student in Whitmore Lake schools. Deaton, who entered a guilty plea in April, was sentenced in June under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act. (JK)