Charges dropped against Boone High School student accused of bringing gun to school

Law enforcement is investigating after officials said a potential threat was found written on a bathroom wall at Boone High School on Monday.

ORLANDO, Fla. — State Attorney Monique Worrell’s office has dropped charges against a Boone High School student accused of bringing a loaded gun to school.

Orlando police arrested 19-year-old Lovensky Cesalien in September for allegedly placing a loaded 9 mm handgun in a female student’s backpack.

He was charged with possessing a firearm on school property and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

But according to a court filing Monday, the assistant state attorney said the case was not suitable for prosecution.

In a statement provided to WFTV, a spokesperson said:

The investigation revealed the 19-year-old student was not in possession of the firearm when it was discovered, nor did he make any admission of guilt. There also was no evidence to support he was in possession of a firearm on school property. While there may have been probable cause to make an arrest, prosecuting a case requires meeting a higher burden of proof, which was not present in this instance and the case did not meet the legal standard required to file a formal charge of Possession of a Firearm on School Property.

While the decision was made to not file charges this week, this case was sent to the office in September 2024 before State Attorney Worrell came into office. The only charge we could have potentially moved forward with for the 19-year-old was a misdemeanor charge of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor but the previous administration failed to act within the required timeframe, allowing the speedy trial period to expire for the misdemeanor charge on Dec. 12, 2024.

We are unable to provide additional information on the charges against the juvenile since we don’t comment on juvenile cases.

—  State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit Spokesperson

The prosecutor said the officer who made the arrest acknowledged it would be a stretch to charge Cesalien with possession of a gun-- because the female student told officers- Cesalien put the weapon in her bag off campus.

WFTV’s Ashlyn Webb also reached out to the Orlando Police Department and they said they “were unaware the charges were dropped.”

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