ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) — A man has been charged after officials with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department say he told an Elkins High School (EHS) administrator that they “are going to burn.”

According to a release from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday, Sept. 1, a man identified as Timothy J. Gifford, 58, was speaking to an EHS administrator over the phone regarding a dispute over an undisclosed school policy. After explaining the school’s policy to Gifford he reportedly began to yell at the administrator and curse at them.

Gifford allegedly continued to yell at the administrator, telling them “you all are wrong” and “I’m fighting you on this.” Gifford also told the administrator that they “better have people there when I come; call the National Guard, call the Sheriff’s Office, because I’m going to bury you,” according to the release. The administrator then allegedly told Gifford that the school was just “following policy” before Gifford responded by saying “you all are going to burn.”

The administrator then told Gifford to “quit threatening me over the phone” before Gifford responded by saying “d*** right I’m threatening you,” according to the release. Gifford allegedly continued to yell and curse at the administrator before the call ended.

Following the call, Elkins High School Prevention Resource Officer, Corporal E.B. Carr obtained an arrest warrant for Gifford and conducted an interview with him on Monday, Sept. 4, according to the release. Gifford disputed the allegations saying that it was “all a misunderstanding” and said he was “frustrated with the situation and had been drinking when the phone call was made,” the release said. However, Gifford denied the allegations of his conduct saying that he “wasn’t threatening her. When I said I’ll bury you, all I meant was the school and stuff,” according to the release.

Gifford said that he wanted to clarify part of the phone call where he mentioned the National Guard and Sheriff’s Office saying that he meant he would be the one to call them because “the school was wrong in what they were doing,” according to the release. Gifford reportedly said that he was apologetic about the situation and that he is “no threat and means no harm to the school system or the [administrator].”

Gifford was arrested on Monday for phone harassment and is currently being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.