A 13-year-old boy with an intellectual disability was arrested and charged with a felony in Hamilton County, Tennessee, after making what authorities interpreted as a threat at school, ProPublica reported. 

Ty, a new student at Ooltewah Middle School, brought a purple bunny plush toy named Bonnie, his comfort item, to class on his second day of school. Bonnie, a character from Ty’s favorite video game franchise, “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” is a source of reassurance for the boy, who has autism. Afraid the toy might be confiscated, Ty told his teacher no one should look in his backpack. When asked why, he replied, “Because the whole school will blow up.” According to Ty and his mother, the statement stemmed from his anxiety over losing Bonnie, not any malicious intent.

The teacher, unfamiliar with Ty and his condition, reported the comment to school administrators, who contacted law enforcement. Ty’s mother said police found Bonnie in the bag during a search but proceeded to handcuff her confused son and take him to a police car. “I think they thought an actual bomb was in my backpack,” Ty told ProPublica and WPLN. “But it was just this, right here,” he said, holding the plush toy. “And they still took me to jail.”

A press release from the sheriff’s department confirmed no explosive devices were found in Ty’s possession. However, Ty’s arrest was mandated under a new Tennessee law requiring felony charges for anyone making a threat of mass violence at school, regardless of whether the threat is credible.

The incident has drawn criticism from disability rights advocates, who argue that such laws fail to consider the unique needs of children like Ty. Efforts to include broader exceptions for students with disabilities in the legislation were unsuccessful. Ty’s mother and advocates are now pushing for more compassionate and nuanced approaches to handling similar cases in schools.