Crime

14-year-old student charged after bullet shown, gun found at SC high school

The sheriff’s office said a student at Chester High School was arrested and remains in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.
The sheriff’s office said a student at Chester High School was arrested and remains in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. Street View image from June 2023. © 2024 Google

A 14-year-old South Carolina student has been arrested after deputies found a gun in a backpack at a school in Chester Thursday, officials said.

The Chester High School student is charged as a juvenile with carrying a weapon on school grounds and possession of a weapon by a minor, said Londa Pringle, spokesperson for the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. The identity of the student was not released because of the suspect’s age.

No one was hurt, according to deputies and school officials.

School officials were alerted around dismissal time Thursday afternoon after a bullet was shown to classmates, deputies said.

A sheriff’s deputy who works as a school resource officer located the gun, Pringle said.

In a statement to parents Thursday evening, school officials said there was no direct threat against any student or staff member on campus.

Chester High School, located off the J.A. Cochran Bypass south of downtown Chester, is the largest of three high schools in the Chester County School District.

The student who was arrested will remain in custody of the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice until a Family Court hearing can be held on the charges, deputies said.

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Andrew Dys
The Herald
Andrew Dys covers breaking news and public safety for The Herald, where he has been a reporter and columnist since 2000. He has won 51 South Carolina Press Association awards for his coverage of crime, race, justice, and people. He is author of the book “Slice of Dys” and his work is in the U.S. Library of Congress.
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