A 16-year-old Clarksburg High School student was arrested at the school and charged with possession of a firearm Tuesday, according to a news release from Montgomery County police.
“What occurred today is an extremely serious matter and I am requesting that [parents] take a moment with your child to reinforce the seriousness of bringing anything to school that could be considered a weapon,” Clarksburg Principal Anita O’Neill wrote to the school community Tuesday in a letter obtained by the MoCo Show.
Community Engagement Officers with the Montgomery County Police Department were dispatched to the school at 22500 Wims Road at approximately 11:33 a.m. after a witness reported to school security that another student had a gun, according to the police news release.
According to Montgomery County police dispatch, assistant principal Bakari Haynes called the police reporting that a student possibly saw another student holding a firearm while making a threat to another student.
Police said that the student consented to a search, and police allegedly found an unloaded Ruger handgun. The Firearms Investigations Unit charged the 16-year-old as an adult, and he was transported to the county Central Processing Unit in Rockville where he awaits a bond hearing.
According to Oneill’s letter, police “had no information concerning a direct threat to the campus or any individual and there is no information that the student intended any harm to anyone in the building.”
MoCo360 does not identify minors charged with crimes.
The student faces charges of underage possession of a firearm and possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, according to police. His has not yet been added to the Maryland Judiciary Case Search database.
In addition, the student will receive discipline in alignment with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct “which is very specific for violations of a serious matter such as this,” O’Neill wrote. According to the Student Code of Conduct, possessing a firearm requires a Level 5 intervention, including long-term suspension or expulsion.
MCPS spokesperson Chris Cram did not immediately respond to MoCo360’s request for comment Tuesday afternoon.
O’Neill wrote that because the individual told a school administrator about what they saw, the school was able to “act promptly.”
“This is ‘See something, Say something,’ and I am very glad this person took the initiative to report what was seen to the administration,” Oneill wrote.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.