Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools told parents on Tuesday, Aug. 25, that Drew Andres Owens has been banned from all district property after the 33-year-old posted bond and walked out of the Mecklenburg County Jail days before the first day of school.

Owens faces five counts of communicating mass threats of violence on educational property. He is accused of mailing racially motivated shooting threats to five CMS schools in early 2025, including Ardrey Kell High School and Community House Middle School in Ballantyne.

As we reported earlier Tuesday, Owens was released after a judge reduced his bond in May 2026. He had been held since his February 2025 arrest.

What CMS told parents

The district said school and district leadership remain in close communication with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Police Department and law enforcement partners. CMS confirmed that any violation of the campus ban will result in immediate law enforcement action, and that existing safety procedures and security measures will continue to be followed daily, according to the Charlotte Observer.

WSOC TV reported that CMS sent a letter directly to parents at Hawk Ridge Elementary, one of the five threatened schools. It was not immediately clear whether parents at Ardrey Kell and Community House received individual letters.

Owens is under electronic monitoring and has been ordered by the court to stay away from all school campuses.

The threat

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department affidavit stated that Owens sent a letter to Garinger High School threatening to "shoot up" the school. The letter said the shooter "wants to kill all blacks" and would "put all the black people in their place," according to the affidavit.

Investigators determined Owens mailed four additional letters to Hawk Ridge Elementary, Community House Middle, Ardrey Kell High and West Charlotte High, threatening to kill staff and students at each school. Owens' father, Darryl Owens, a ROTC instructor at West Charlotte, told police he believed his son sent the threats, attributing them to anger over being kicked out of the family home in 2021.

Bond history and trial status

Owens was initially given a $10,000 bond. After community outcry, a judge raised it to $200,000 secured. In May 2026, another judge reduced the amount. The Charlotte Observer and WSOC TV reported the reduced bond at $75,000 secured; WBTV and WCCB reported $60,000. No explanation for the reduction appeared in court paperwork.

Former Mecklenburg County judge Yolanda Trotman told WSOC TV on Aug. 25 that many factors go into bond decisions, including risk to the community, flight risk, family support and mental health. "Bond is not meant to be a punishment … Bond is supposed to secure a person's return to court," Trotman said.

A jury trial previously scheduled for Dec. 24 has been canceled, according to court records. No replacement date has been set.

School safety context

More than 90 school resource officers from CMSPD and municipal departments attended an Aug. 13 training conference ahead of the school year. State data cited at the conference showed a 93% reduction in firearm possession incidents across CMS schools over the past four years, dropping from 29 incidents to three.

Residents who see Owens near any school campus should call 911 immediately.