Teen arrested outside Fernandina Beach church youth group meeting with stolen gun, weed

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — The Nassau County Sheriff's Office said a teen had a stolen gun and was smoking weed outside the Journey Church while youth ministry was going on.

Sheriff Bill Leeper tells Action News Jax an off-duty deputy was working security at the church when he heard about a fight in the parking lot.

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When the deputy approached, he noticed the smell of burnt marijuana coming from inside a vehicle.

According to the incident report, officers found several packages of marijuana and a loaded gun that was reported stolen in January.

"The individual who owned the truck owned up to the marijuana and the gun and was arrested for those two charges," Leeper said.

The sheriff can't release details about the person who was arrested because he or she is a minor.

The incident happened less than 300 feet away from students who were attending a youth group meeting inside the church.

On Thursday, concerned parents took to social media, wondering why no one had been notified.

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"Because this wasn't a group threat, parents weren't not initially notified," explained Journey Church executive director Kara Bellar.

Additionally, she said, contacting every parent wouldn't have been possible.

"We have over 160 students who attend, and having contact information for all of them is unlikely. It wasn't feasible to do that," Bellar told Action News Jax.

The church will be notifying parents when they drop students off for youth ministry this Wednesday.

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