Four men who attended the July 11 Gloucester County School Board meeting while armed, resulting in a roughly two-hour lockdown, were arrested Friday and charged with possession of firearms on school property.

Trevor Herrin, 28, of Williamsburg; Derek Coblentz, 32, of Prospect; Christopher Cordasco, 26, of Williamsburg, and Antonio Hernandez, 27, of Fishersville, were charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds, a Class 6 felony, stemming from the incident in the T.C. Walker Education Center auditorium. Additionally, Herrin was charged with unlawful possession of a concealed firearm, a Class 1 misdemeanor.

According to a statement issued Friday afternoon by the Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office, a GCSO deputy was on duty, in uniform, displaying his badge of authority and working an assignment providing security at the meeting in the auditorium.

This building is school board property, the location of both Head Start (preschool) classes and is a licensed day care facility. Multiple references to this property being a school were in the area, including “school zone” lights capable of flashing on the road in front of the school, signage depicting the logo of Gloucester County Public Schools, the words “education center,” and a sign noting that “smoking was not allowed on school property,” amongst others, the GCSO statement read.

During the course of the meeting, the deputy took note of five adult men who entered the auditorium where the meeting was being held. These men entered as a group but dispersed once inside, with each of them sitting apart from one another. The deputy observed one of the men, later identified as Herrin, to have a knife affixed to the back of his belt in a “scout carry” position, which is a position that provides the wearer easy access to withdraw the knife from the sheath.

As stated in the criminal warrants, based on these actions, the deputy moved to a position where he could observe the five men who appeared to have strategically positioned themselves throughout the auditorium. During this time, the deputy noted that they appeared to be sending text messages to each other, as he would see one type on his cell phone and then others retrieve their phones as if to check messages. He further noticed them take active interest as he repositioned himself in the room.

At the meeting, Herrin approached the podium and spoke during the citizen comment period. Herrin alleged that his vehicle had been vandalized during the last school board meeting and stated that he “would strongly recommend caution and reflection before engaging in anything like that, especially with someone you don’t know, with capabilities you don’t know.”

In a later conversation with law enforcement, Herrin labeled the vandalism incident as an “attack” against him. The alleged incident that he referred to was not immediately reported to law enforcement; instead, he called several days later with a suspicion of several people who may have “slashed his tire.” Security video was checked in an effort to see any vandalism done to Herrin’s vehicle, but no evidence of anyone tampering with it was able to be seen, the statement said. Herrin chose to not file a crime report with GCSO.

When Herrin finished speaking and began to leave the podium, the deputy observed the grip of a pistol on the right side of Herrin’s body, according to the statement. The deputy was previously unable to see the pistol due to the positioning of the weapon and the shirt the male was wearing was hanging below his belt line (concealed). The pistol was only visible as the male left the podium due to his body movements that raised the height of his shirt tail above his beltline briefly.

Shortly after Herrin spoke, the group of men left the school building and proceeded to the parking lot, where the deputy along with additional deputy sheriffs made contact with them.

Herrin, Coblentz, Cordasco, Hernandez and a fifth individual who criminal charges are not being sought against at this time were informed by the deputy that he was investigating the carrying of a firearm on school property.

During the conversation, it was revealed that four of the five members of the group were possessing concealed firearms. The fifth male who was identified in the auditorium was not in possession of a firearm on his person.

According to the warrant, during discussion with law enforcement officers at the scene, Herrin made inferences to the group of men being part of a militia-style organization and said that they were at the school board meeting, despite none of them residing in Gloucester County nor having any children in the county school system, to support his friend Darren Post, who is a school board member, and to ask for an apology from whoever damaged his vehicle’s tire during the previous meeting. The other members of the group expressed that they were in attendance to “support” Herrin, and they further intimated that they had advanced special operations and tactical training.

The deputy informed them that the building was school property, and it was unlawful for them to carry firearms on the property. Herrin advised the deputy that he did not know it was school property because no signs were posted to that effect, nor were any “no weapons allowed” signs.

The deputies on scene engaged in further discussion with the group, who initially implied to law enforcement officers that they would not surrender their firearms peacefully and that deputies would have to use force, and be met with forceful resistance, the warrant narrative states. The deputy took note of more than one member of the group changing their stance as they spoke about relinquishing their firearms into a “fighting stance,” where a person “blades” their body toward a perceived opponent and balances their weight for more stability.

Deputies were also informed by one member of the group that they would reappear with an armed group of greater than 50 people with body armor, rifles, night vision, and sniper (overwatch) if they felt their firearm rights and agenda were being infringed upon, the warrant narrative states.

After a lengthy period of negotiation, which members of the group initially deemed an “impasse,” the deputies seized one pistol from each of the four aforementioned.

The group also emptied their pockets in front of the deputies, who observed items such as medical/trauma kits, tourniquets, multiple pairs of handcuffs, and extra ammunition and pistol magazines in their possession, the warrants stated.

With the exception of Herrin, the other individuals possessed valid concealed handgun permits. Herrin’s most recent permit was issued in James City County in 2016 and expired in 2021.

Post’s statement

Post made the following statement on Facebook in the early morning hours of July 14 (dated July 13) related to the incident:

“This statement is in response to the incident which occurred at the Gloucester County School Board meeting on July 11, 2023,” began Post.

“As a dedicated member of the Gloucester County School Board, I, Darren Post, am deeply committed to the safety, well-being, and the education of our children.

“To begin, I want to emphasize that all environments pertaining to our educational system, including board meetings, should be spaces free from potential threats and fear, adhering to the letter and spirit of our local, state, and federal laws.

“I would like to clarify the relationship between Mr. Trevor Herrin and myself. We simply share membership in a regional grassroots’ conservative political organization. Our interactions have been limited to a handful of occasions, mostly at group meetings which are open to the public.

“I strongly support a comprehensive investigation into this matter by Sheriff Darrell Warren and his team, confident in their commitment to uphold law and order. I am also confident that Sheriff Warren will provide the School Board with appropriate recommendations pursuant to the outcome of his investigation. Should any individuals be charged in this matter, I have confidence our judicial system will appropriately decide the outcome.

“In conclusion, my duty has been, and will continue to be, to serve this community with transparency and integrity, and my primary focus remains the safety and education of our children. Our collective goal should be to foster an environment that promotes open, safe, and constructive dialogue about our schools.”

The statement was made prior to Friday’s arrest of the four individuals.

Acting superintendent Bryan Hartley said the school district is giving consideration to additional security measures.

This is an active investigation.