'Potential Mass Shooting Thwarted' In Small Tennessee Town

CLIFTON, TN -- A Tennessee prison guard who threatened to "shoot up a church and kill himself" had at least four high-powered guns in his car and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to law enforcement officials.

Daniel Vernon Toler, 35, of Huron, Tenn. -- an unincorporated community in Henderson County about halfway between Nashville and Memphis -- was arrested Sunday at the South Central Correctional Facility in Clifton, a town of 2,700 that hugs the Tennessee River in Wayne County, where he worked as a corrections officer.

Over the weekend, Toler had allegedly threatened to shoot up a church and then commit suicide, putting the Henderson County Sheriff's Department on alert. He was stopped by Clifton Police on prison property. Toler had a 12-gauge shotgun, a bolt-action rifle and two assault rifles in his car, police said. In addition, he had 1,500 rounds of ammunition.

For now, Toler is charged with introduction of contraband into a penal facility and is being held in the Wayne County Jail without bail, according to the Wayne County News.

District Attorney General Brent Cooper commended police for acting quickly.

“This is what didn’t happen in Florida,” Cooper told Fox 17. “Law enforcement listened to a tip and a potential tragedy was avoided.”

Photo via Wayne County Sheriff's Department