Stevenson High student arrested after pistol found in school
A Stevenson High School student was arrested Friday morning after taking an unloaded pistol to school, officials said.
The 17-year-old junior, who was not publicly identified, was arrested about 10 a.m. in a classroom at the Lincolnshire school. A .38-caliber revolver was found in the teen's backpack, which was with him, authorities said.
Gun-possession charges are pending in juvenile court, said Lincolnshire police officer Thomas Branick, the school's resource officer.
It's the second time this week a Northwest suburban high school student was arrested after bringing a gun to school. A similar situation happened Monday at Barrington High School.
Friday's arrest at Stevenson High followed a tip from other students, Superintendent Eric Twadell said.
“We acted immediately,” Twadell said.
The student was arrested without a struggle, officials said. No one was hurt and the situation was resolved within minutes, authorities said.
It happened so quickly that the school never went into a security lockdown.
“We wanted to catch him by surprise,” Branick said. “We had very specific information about the identity of the suspect, and we knew he was contained to a classroom.”
Police searched the student's locker and found nothing improper, Branick said.
Classes and activities went on as normal the rest of the day, Twadell said.
Police said they didn't immediately know why the student brought the gun to school or where it came from. There is no evidence he intended to use it at Stevenson, Branick said.
“It doesn't seem school was the primary motivator here,” he said.
The teen was being taken to the Depke Juvenile Justice Center near Vernon Hills late Friday afternoon.
The Lake County state's attorney's office will decide if the teen is charged as a juvenile or an adult, Lincolnshire Deputy Police Chief William Price said.
The state's attorney's office hadn't reviewed the case as of Friday afternoon, spokeswoman Cynthia Vargas said.
Students, employees and parents were notified of the arrest by phone and email after officials determined the campus was safe, Principal Troy Gobble said. A message was posted on the school's Facebook page, too.
Administrators also personally spoke with some students and staffers.
Officials said they believe the incident marks the first time in the school's 50-year history that a Stevenson student was arrested over a gun at school.
The arrest came just a day after Stevenson officials met to discuss how they should respond if a student brings a gun to school, Twadell said.
That conversation was prompted, in part, by the Barrington High case.
Barrington student Kyle Robert Johnson, 16, was arrested after police said he took a handgun and ammunition to school. Johnson is being charged as an adult with unlawful use of a weapon.