14-year-old charged with bringing gun to Edgewood Junior High School

A .380 caliber handgun was recovered by police officers from a 14-year-old student at Edgewood Junior High School early Thursday morning.

According to officials, another student saw the weapon on a bus that morning and alerted an administrator once they arrived at the school around 7:30 a.m. A school resource officer then located the student in the hallway and recovered the weapon, which had a loaded magazine but no bullet in the chamber.

"I think it should be noted that we had a student who saw something and said something," superintendent Jerry Sanders said. "And that is a message that we need to make sure that our students, as well as everyone in the community, practices: having those same thoughts in making sure that if you're not sure about what's going on, say something, just in case there is something going on."

The student is charged with possession of firearms on school property in addition to dangerous possession and unlawful transfer of a firearm by a juvenile. Under Indiana law, the student also faces a one-year expulsion. He was transported to a juvenile detention center by Ellettsville police and the deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Families were notified of the incident soon after it occurred via email from Sanders. While this is the first time that Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation has had an incident like this, an MCCSC student was charged with bringing a loaded gun to Batchelor Middle School in September.

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Since 2016, Edgewood schools have contracted with the Ellettsville Police Department to employ SROs on site. Ellettsville Administrative Chief Deputy Anthony Bowlen said he hopes students and their families are able to feel safer having a police presence at school.

"It is very beneficial for the safety of the children in our community. It's truly been just a great collaboration between the school system and the police department," Bowlen said. "We had what could have been a real tragedy today that was quickly averted."

No one was injured. At this time, investigators do not believe the student planned to use the weapon. The investigation is still ongoing.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Lt. Zach Michael of the Ellettsville Police Department at 812-8776-2270.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: 14-year-old charged with bringing gun to Richland-Bean Blossom school