Former Valedictorian Brings Gun Into High School
UPDATED 12/02/10 11:02 a.m.
CHICAGO (STMW) - A former class valedictorian at Washington High School was arrested after walking into his old school with a loaded handgun Tuesday afternoon in the Far South Side Hegewisch neighborhood, police said.
Eutimio Rodriguez, 18, of the 13100 block of Avenue O, was charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon at a school after the incident,according to police.
On Wednesday, Judge Israel Desierto ordered him held on $10,000 bond and set a preliminary hearing for Dec. 7, according to Cook County State's Attorney's office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton.
Rodriguez was also cited with having no valid FOID card, according to police.
At about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, police were called to Washington High at 3535 E. 114th St., according to a South Chicago District police sergeant.
Rodriguez told police he was going to see a teacher at the school, where he was valedictorian last school year. But after he walked through a metal detector, security officers detained him, did a "pat down" and found a loaded handgun he was carrying in an ankle holster, according to the sergeant.
Rodriguez said he had the gun for protection and has never been arrested, according to the sergeant.
When Rodriguez walked into the scool, he did not have an appointment and would not say why he wanted to see the teacher. He also told authorities he was picking up his sister from the school, police said.
Rodriguez was also carrying rubber gloves and a list of the names of a Chicago Police tactical team which had recently conducted a drug bust in the Hegewisch neighborhood, according to the sergeant.
Officers checked the serial number of the .38 caliber handgun, which was loaded with six bullets, and found it was stolen from Indiana.
Police said Rodriguez told them he had received a scholarship to Northwestern University, where he is a student, but university spokesman Mary Jane Twohey said Thursday morning there is no one by that name registered at Northwestern.
A representative fof Washington High could not immediately be reached to confirm if Rodriguez had been a student there.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
