SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A 15-year-old Lake Mary High School student was arrested Thursday for having a gun on campus.
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According to an arrest report, the student’s mother was the first to warn school officials that one of her kids was possibly there with a gun.
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The woman told investigators she got up at 5 a.m. to pack herself a backpack for the day, which included her wallet and a 9mm Ruger semi-automatic handgun.
She said her two high school-aged children were still sleeping when she sat down on the couch to watch TV and fell back asleep.
According to the arrest report, the woman said when she woke up again, both her kids had left the house and the backpack and gun were missing.
Deputies say the woman immediately went to the school to report the incident to the Assistant Principal.
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The student was taken to the office and searched. In his bag, deputies found his mother’s smaller bag with her belongings, including the handgun with five live rounds in the magazine.
During an interview, the boy told a School Resource Deputy he was looking through his mother’s bag for a pair of Apple airpods that had been taken from him when she began to wake up.
According to the sheriff’s office, the boy said instead of dropping the bag, he took it with him and left the house.
The boy told deputies he knew his mother had a gun but claimed she didn’t normally carry it in her backpack and denied knowing it was there when he took the bag.
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The boy was charged with possession of a firearm on school property and taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
“While there was never an active threat, we wish to take this opportunity to ask all our families to please speak with your children regarding the serious consequences that are involved with bringing weapons on campus,” Principal Mickey Reynolds said in a message to parents. “School safety and security is our number one priority and we have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior.”
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