EASTPORT (AP) – A crisis preparedness exercise at Shead High School got a dose of reality when a man carrying a gun was spotted nearby.

“We did a lockdown exercise schoolwide to check our readiness and so forth based on what was going on around the country,” Principal Terry Lux said.

The test of the school’s crisis management plan came within days of a school shooting in the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pa., that left five girls and the shooter dead.

After Shead’s all-clear signal sounded and more than 130 students headed to the assembly room to discuss the drill Thursday morning, officials learned that a man had been spotted carrying a rifle.

Officer Chris Gardner of the Eastport Police Department, who was at the school in conjunction with the drill, called for backup.

“I immediately returned to the assembly room and advised the students that it was no joke and they would be locked down. I also notified the elementary school,” Gardner said. It, too, was locked down.

The man was seen heading into the woods near the elementary school, where hunting and discharge of firearms are prohibited. “We went in (the woods) and were able to locate him,” Gardner said. “He was carrying a pellet gun with a scope on it. It looked exactly like a high-powered rifle.”

The man, who was not identified by police, said he was target practicing. “He said, ‘I do it all the time.’ I advised him – ‘not anymore,”‘ the officer said.

Gardner seized the gun and sent the man home. “If stupidity was a crime, a lot of people would be under arrest,” he said.

The school remained locked down for about 20 minutes.