Man who threatened to put students at a Lexington high school in body bags sentenced

The Lexington man with a history of threatening River Bluff High School students and staff, including videos about putting them in body bag, pleaded guilty Tuesday.

Christopher Glen Raines, aka “AJ Blues,” 43, pleaded guilty to unlawful communication and was sentenced to fifteen days at the Lexington County Detention Center, according to the Lexington Police Department.

Raines made a series of verbal and written threats of violence on his Facebook and Twitter pages, along with numerous videos posted on his YouTube page between Aug. 17 and Sept. 17, authorities said.

“This week’s prediction: RBHS students killed this week while committing crimes on private property,” Raines said Sept. 17, 2017 on Facebook and Twitter, according to police.

In a YouTube post, Raines shared a video of himself in his yard with a bow and arrow using explosive arrowheads, which are designed to use .357 or .38 Special ammunition, authorities said.

During these videos, police said, Raines made reference to students being put into body bags.

According to Lexington County tax records, Raines is listed as a co-owner of a residence on Mill Stream Road, approximately a mile from River Bluff High.

Raines was arrested Sept. 18, 2017 and had requested a jury trial, but on Tuesday, he asked to instead plead guilty with a consideration for a lesser sentence, which was accepted.

Raines was sentenced to 15 days instead of 30 for the charge, according to the police, who said he was taken to the Lexington County Detention Center to begin his sentence.

Raines has a criminal record that involves alcohol, according to criminal records at the State Law Enforcement Division.

He has convictions on DUI from 1998 and 2002, possession of LSD in 2004 and public drunkenness in 2001.

More recent charges in 2011 and 2012 that involve criminal domestic violence and DUI have not been resolved according to SLED’s data.

Lexington 1 school district said it put Raines on a districtwide “No Trespass Notice” in September 2016.That meant he could not be on any Lexington 1 property for any purpose, including extracurricular activities such as athletic events or other student performance, after threatening comments made toward students.

Raines continued threatening the district, students and staff through social media, the district said.

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Man who threatened to put students at a Lexington high school in body bags sentenced."