Jilted Schaumburg teen had loaded gun, police say
A 17-year-old Schaumburg High School student was found with a loaded, stolen gun in her car because she'd planned to confront a former love interest and another fellow student, authorities said.
Ashley M. Ross, of 1001 Webster Lane in Schaumburg, is facing three separate weapons charges, including one felony, after authorities were tipped off by a concerned parent, police said Wednesday.
A 14-year-old junior high student from Schaumburg was also charged with possession of a stolen firearm for taking the gun from her father's safe and giving it to Ross, police said.
Cook County prosecutors said Ross told authorities that she "felt like killing" her former girlfriend and the girl's new boyfriend. But she changed her mind and left the gun in her car -- found several blocks from the high school -- because she didn't want to go to jail, prosecutors said.
Ross did spend Tuesday night in jail anyway, and was released on a $10,000 bond Wednesday.
Officials said the gun was never actually brought into the school. Ross could still face suspension or expulsion under school code.
She was charged with felony possession of a stolen firearm as well as unlawful use of a weapon and lack of a firearm ID card, Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said.
In addition to the loaded, .38-caliber semiautomatic gun, authorities said they also found a box of ammunition in Ross's car.
Schaumburg police said they have "no firm indication Ross planned to actually use the gun on campus or anywhere else."
Ross is required to adhere to a 24-hour curfew as conditions of her release. Her next court date is Feb. 26.
The student accused of supplying the gun -- a student in Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 -- was charged as a juvenile after her father drove her to the police station Tuesday, Nebl said. She's due back in juvenile court next week.
She remains in custody at the Cook County Temporary Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago, Nebl said.
Police said they received a tip from a parent, whose child had heard about a fellow student planning an altercation possibly involving a gun.
Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 spokesman Tom Petersen said he could not comment specifically about the case.
"Student and staff safety is something we take very seriously in District 211, so we're working closely with law enforcement officers in this matter," he said.
Schaumburg Principal Tim Little made an announcement at school Wednesday about the arrests.
District 54 spokeswoman Terri McHugh said she could not comment on them.
Both McHugh and Petersen said their districts would handle possible discipline on a case-by-case basis.
District 211's school code, under the gross disobedience and misconduct section, indicates a student can be suspended or expelled for possession of a gun. That would happen only after a disciplinary hearing.
Student: 14-year-old stole gun from safe, authorities say