'Put out a code red'

MILTON — Ashton Buechler said he went from the nickname "Possum" to "Hero Possum" at West Florida Baptist Academy following his Nov. 20 actions, which led to the arrest of a Gulf Breeze man.

"You need to put out a code red," Buechler said to the school's front office staff. "There's a dude out there with a gun."

Those words started a series of well-rehearsed active shooter procedures at the school, Buechler said. Someone called 911. Then they went into lock-down mode, took shelter, and waited for deputies.

Buechler was glad vice principal Lynn Kemp and the office manager, Tina Grissette, believed him, he said.

What led to the lock-down is a story of unselfishness and love displayed by an 18-year-old high school senior who said he just wanted to help people and do the right thing.

On that day, Buechler returned to school around 11:30 a.m. to give his younger brother Greyson a ride home. He noticed a man in a car next to his in the parking lot. The man held up an object so Buechler could see it — what appeared to be a gun. The suspect then indicated Buechler should be quiet.

Buechler said he was scared, shaking and could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Buechler drove his truck forward through the median in the parking lot.

"His truck had a free pass out,” Rebecca Buechler, his mother, said.

Buechler's truck pointed straight towards Highway 90, an easy exit from the scene. Her son did the opposite. He pulled a U-turn around the suspect and drove to the administration office.

"I'm not surprised," Rebecca said.

"I had to get to the school," Ashton said. "I knew my little brother was still in the building and a lot of friends."

Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office deputies arrived and arrested James Daniel Preston, 28 of Gulf Breeze. The sheriff's office charged him with felony burglary, larceny, drug possession, and aggravated assault. Preston was still breaking into cars when deputies arrived, according to the arrest report.

The gun Preston showed Ashton was fake, the report said.

"I got down on my knees," Buechler's mom said when she heard about her son's deeds. "God put his hand of protection on him."

"The school did the right thing. They followed the proper procedures," Ashton's father, Dan Buechler, said.

Ashton received a certificate of special recognition Dec. 10 from county commissioners. Sheriff Bob Johnson presented it to him and thanked him for his actions.

Rebecca has noticed higher stress levels in her son since the incident. He dreams about what happened and started having headaches, she said.

"The first thing I did when I saw my little brother was give him a hug," Ashton said. "We are close … I don't think I did anything super special. I would probably do it again."

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'Put out a code red'