A former teacher pleaded guilty to charges of firing a pistol full of blanks at his students. 61 year-old Manuael Ernest Dillow of Kingsport feared prison time but got a five-year suspended sentence for brandishing a firearm on school property, plus probation for two years. While working as a welding teacher at the William N. Neff Center in Abingdon, Dillow admitted to lining up a dozen students and pulled the trigger repeatedly. He claimed it was a disciplinary method to get their attention but the 12 students say they thought they were about to die. While appearing in Washington County Circuit Court, Dillow heard charges of 12 felony counts of brandishing a firearm, one count per student but those charges were merged together in a plea agreement. (bg)