Tyler student, 17, gets 8 years in prison for phone threat Student, 17, gets 8 years in prison for phone threat

TYLER — A 17-year-old who phoned his rival high school on a school bus and threatened to open fire on students has been sentenced to eight years in state prison.

An attorney for Terrance Taylor said Saturday he was surprised by the sentence and had recommended probation for his client, who was a junior at John Tyler High School in Tyler.

Taylor pleaded guilty Thursday to making a terroristic threat. Don Davidson, the student's attorney, said state District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. used the phrase "the times we live in" in handing down the sentence.

Police found no weapons belonging to Taylor after he made the call in January. Davidson said another student initiated the call on the bus and that his client was "gullible" in taking part.

Angela Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the Tyler school district, said that while the sentence was "severe in this circumstance," the school takes threats very seriously. She said "we now live in a time where safety is of paramount concern."