SC teen charged after a loaded gun found in vehicle at a York County high school
A 17-year-old student at Clover High School faces two gun charges after a loaded pistol was found on campus Friday afternoon, according to the York County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy is charged as a juvenile in South Carolina Family Court with possession of a handgun on school grounds and illegal possession of a handgun by someone under age 18, a sheriff’s office incident report shows.
Because of his age, the student has not been identified. He was released to a family member, according to the report.
No one was hurt. Two other students told deputies the teen showed them the gun in a bathroom area, then they told a coach about it, according to the report. Deputies found the pistol on the seat of a vehicle on campus, sheriff officials said. The teen who was charged told officers after the gun was found it was not his weapon, according to the incident report.
Friday was a professional development day for Clover School District teachers so few students were on campus, according to a statement the principal sent to families Friday afternoon. The statement said baseball players told school officials about a student-athlete who allegedly had a gun at school.
The statement provided to The Herald by the district said:
“This afternoon, Clover High School baseball players reported seeing a fellow student-athlete on campus in possession of a firearm. Fortunately, this was a day out of school for most CHS students, so few students were on campus when this occurred. Thanks to the quick action taken by members of the baseball team, administrators were notified and immediately confiscated the weapon. All students and staff are safe following this incident. Because this situation is an active investigation, we are unable to share additional details at this time.
As always, it is critical when you see something to say something. CSD appreciates that our students followed the protocol in this case because it helped the administration act quickly and prevent an unsafe situation on campus.”
Citing privacy reasons, school district spokesperson Stephanie Knott declined to comment Monday concerning any disciplinary consequences.
