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Man charged in shooting plot lived at Hope Village By Nick Morgan and John Stoeckl Updated: Aug 06, 2021 05:54 PM A A A former school custodian who allegedly planned a “mass casualty event” before turning himself in to police had lived in Medford’s Hope Village, a tiny house development for people battling homelessness, prior to his arrest, according to his former employer. Ron Havniear, Medford School District director of facilities and leadership development, said in an interview Friday that he and his staff never saw any signs of homicidal tendencies in the roughly six months that Kristopher Wayne Clay worked as a custodian at South Medford High School. “We did not see any behavior issues or performance issues throughout that time,” Havniear said. Clay had worked the night shift since February, cleaning after school and during the evening during the school year, according to Havniear, who is in charge of safety, security and emergency management at schools and facilities throughout the district. "He probably didn’t have a whole lot of interaction with students — if any at all,” Havniear said. According to Havniear’s staff, Clay lived at Hope Village and walked the more than 2-1/2 miles to the high school every day. Messages to the executive director and development director of Rogue Retreat, which operates Hope Village, were not returned Friday, but Jackson County Jail and Jackson County Circuit Court records show Clay’s address at Hope Village, 728 W. McAndrews Road. Night custodians work with the day shift during the summer, so Havniear said it’s possible that he had more interaction with students during the summer. “I don’t think Kris had a whole lot of interaction or was present when students were necessarily here,” Havniear said. The Panther Camp summer program had 46 students enrolled, Medford School District spokesperson Natalie Hurd said in an earlier news report . Clay is in the Jackson County Jail on charges of attempted second-degree murder, attempted first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of firearms and tampering with physical evidence. Clay reportedly entered the Medford Police Department lobby, asked to speak with an officer, and told police he was having homicidal thoughts. Havniear said the school’s investigation into Clay began July 20, after Clay went to the Medford police station. Police put Clay on a mental health hold, and transported him to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center’s behavioral health unit. Police alerted Havniear that night, and began working with school resource officers. His staff and the officers found no weapons or other threats after a thorough search of the school grounds. Clay was released from the hospital Wednesday. Why Clay was released from the hospital is sealed under patient privacy laws, but Asante spokesperson Lauren Van Sickle said patients in the behavioral health unit who are brought in by police are assessed, treated and released back to police once the patient is stabilized. “We discharge them back to law enforcement,” Van Sickle said. “It becomes up to them what to do next.” It’s the same protocol the hospital uses for individuals brought to the hospital for physical injuries by police. As an example, Van Sickle said that if a person breaks their leg in a crash while eluding police, police will bring the suspect to the hospital, and the hospital will contact police when the individual is medically cleared. "We treat them, and then when they’re ready to be discharged, we do,“ Van Sickle said. Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MTCrimeBeat.