13-year-old brings firearm to Waldorf middle school in lunchbox

A middle school student was allegedly found with a handgun in his lunchbox at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Waldorf on Sept. 18.

Upon receiving a tip from another student, administrators and the school resource officer began investigating and found a handgun in a lunchbox, an email to parents from the school’s acting principal, Marquelle Peavy, said.

The student was allegedly overheard talking to others about the firearm. No threats were made, according to a Charles County Sheriff’s Office release.

The handgun was confiscated and the rest of the student’s belongings were searched to ensure that there were no other weapons.

The student, age 13, was charged on a juvenile offense report with possession of a firearm on school grounds and will face school disciplinary consequences, authorities said.

“I appreciate the students who shared this information with administrators so we could quickly investigate a safety concern to our students and staff,” Peavy said in her email.

The school resource officer is investigating where the student got the gun and why they brought it to school.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Officer Quigley at 301-609-3282, ext. 0722.