PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla — A 13-year-old 7th grader was arrested and charged with bringing a weapon to campus after school officials were notified about a gun in the student’s backpack.
Putnam County Sheriff’s Office stated that another student saw the firearm, which was later determined to be a BB gun, during breakfast at Interlachen Junior-Senior High School.
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The second student reported seeing the weapon to school officials. Youth resource deputies and school administrators quickly found the student with the BB gun during her first-period class in the junior high gym on campus 2.
Due to the quick actions of the administration and deputies, the school campus was not locked down during the incident and school continued as normal.
While the student is being charged with a third-degree felony for bringing a weapon to campus, her name and photo are not being released at this time because there is no indication there was a direct threat to the campus, students, or individuals.
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“We want to remind parents and guardians again of the seriousness of weapons coming onto a school campus. The BB gun in this case appears real and does not look like a toy. If the student had pointed the BB gun in the direction of students or teachers, our youth resource deputies and guardians would have reacted with deadly force to protect others,” said PCSO in a Facebook post.
“This is a student who in reality had no clue how dangerous it was to bring this to a school campus,” Sheriff H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach said. “She did not intend to harm anyone but wanted to show this weapon off to her friends. She now faces the consequences of her actions plus whatever discipline the school deems appropriate.”
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