A 10-year-old male student is facing a felony charge today of bringing an unloaded handgun onto the New Hope Elementary School campus.
The student, who has not been named by the Lowndes County Sheriff”s Office, has been suspended since Friday morning, when he showed two other students the 32-caliber semi-automatic in an elementary school restroom, said LCSO Chief Deputy Greg Wright.
A teacher was told of the weapon, which was quickly seized by school authorities, Wright continued. The handgun”s ammunition magazine remains missing despite a search of the campus.
The student will be charged with carrying a weapon on school property and will be arraigned in Youth Court, he added.
One of the boy”s relatives may also face charges related to the incident pending the results of the investigation, Wright said.
Even though the student is young, Wright said the sheriff”s office had “zero tolerance” for campus weapons crimes.
“Our feeling is, it”s a very serious matter,” he said.
Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Mike Halford said he was “extremely disappointed” that the incident occurred.
“We”re not proud of what happened,” he continued. “But I am proud that school officials addressed this issue within the first 15 minutes of the school day.”
The boy will be suspended 10 days before a disciplinary hearing, Halford said.
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