Greeley High School Student Found With A Gun, Arrested
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4)- A Greeley Central High School student was arrested on Wednesday morning after he was allegedly found with a semi-automatic handgun and ammunition in his backpack.
"It was a little scary but the intentions weren't as everybody thought it was," said freshman Jade Rodriguez.
"I think it's horrible. I've never heard of that here," said neighbor Eddy George.
The 17-year-old senior was one of four teens detained about 7:20 a.m. after school administrators received reports of students smoking pot on school grounds at 1600 14th Avenue in Greeley.
Administrators approached the boys, one senior, one junior and two sophomores, as they were walking away and brought them back to school. Once the boys were inside the school their backpacks were searched.
Officials found marijuana in two of the backpacks. There was nothing unusual in the third backpack. In the final backpack officials found an unloaded .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun in a holster and ammunition in a separate compartment.
"When she pulled out the gun she immediately called police, they secured the backpack, they secured the child and nobody was hurt," said School spokeswoman Theresa Myers.
Police came to the school and interviewed the student along with Greeley Central High School Safety Director John Gates.
Police took the teen into custody. He remains in the Platte Valley Youth Detention Center in north Greeley facing possible charges of a weapon on school grounds.
Myers said the teen had no prior disciplinary record with the school, "He didn't have any ill intent at the school that we know of with the weapon."
There was no indication the teen planned to use the gun at school but they don't know why he had the weapon with him. It is illegal to bring a gun on school grounds.
Myers said students were never in harm's way, "They reacted very appropriately to the situation."
The other boys were released to their parents. They face disciplinary action for their suspected marijuana use.
The school resource officer assigned to the school was away on training but the district said administrators did everything they should have in his absence.
"We really have never had this incident before here, in anybody's recollection, we just don't have these incidents very often," said Myers.
