DALTON, Ga. — Randal Davidson, the Dalton High School social studies teacher who police say shot a pistol in his classroom on Feb. 28, was released from jail on a $10,000 bond Thursday afternoon for psychiatric evaluation and treatment.

The consent order signed by Superior Court Judge Cindy Morris states that if Davidson is released from a mental health facility, he “is to return from such facility to the Whitfield County jail unless otherwise directed by this court in writing.”

Davidson, who will have an electronic ankle monitor, must surrender any firearms he has and allow a search of his residence for any other firearms, under the terms of the consent order. He can’t go on or near school property or have any contact with school employees, students or the immediate families of any students.

“What the bond order does basically is he remains in custody, but rather than being at the jail, he will be at a mental health facility,” District Attorney Poston said. “He will be at a secure, in-patient facility and he will be monitored 24 hours a day. We expect this will be several weeks of evaluation and then he will go back to jail. In the meantime, we will prepare the case for the grand jury.”

The consent order signed by Morris states, “… the Dalton Police Department may search his residence, vehicle or other places under his control in order to secure such firearms and/or to verify that no such firearms exist.”

“After consulting with the Dalton public school system and with student and parent representatives, the District Attorney’s Office and Randal Davidson’s attorney, Richard Murray, reached an agreement this morning concerning bond,” Poston wrote in a press release. 

Davidson was taken to Hamilton Medical Center from the jail around 3:20 Thursday afternoon for an initial evaluation by personnel from Westcott Behavioral Health Services. Poston wrote he would be taken to either Westcott or “another appropriate facility” for “additional psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Davidson will sign a waiver allowing the facility to report the results of the evaluation to the court.”

Davidson is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, carrying a weapon on school property, reckless conduct, disrupting a public school and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

In an announcement to media earlier this week, Poston said Davidson would be in court this Friday for a bond hearing. Davidson waived a first appearance hearing and his bond hearing had been postponed several times.

“Mr. Murray has been working for the past two weeks to get the background work for this order in place,” Poston said. “You have to get all of the pieces in place. We have been waiting on that from him. The order was drawn up (Wednesday) and we presented it to Judge Morris and there wasn’t a reason to wait another day.”

Messages left at Murray’s office were not immediately returned Thursday afternoon.

Davidson’s contract with Dalton Public Schools will not be renewed for next year, Pat Holloway, director of communications for the school system, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and confirmed to the Daily Citizen-News.

“He will not be back next year, for sure,” she said.