TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Police arrested a 16-year-old student in Hillsborough County after a school resource officer found a loaded handgun in his vehicle at Simmons Career Center, according to the Plant City Police Department.
“My heart kind of dropped,” Kristine Smith said as she picked up her children from school. “It is scary because things like that can happen at any given moment.”
Deputies said it all started with a tip from a concerned parent in Plant City who said a student potentially had a weapon.
That’s when police said a school resource officer at Simmons Career Center got in touch with a 16-year-old student who they say admitted to having a gun in his vehicle.
“It was a 9mm Taurus handgun, had a magazine fully loaded and we had also recovered a number of rounds” Capt. Alfred Van Duyne with the Plant City Police Department said.
Twenty-six rounds to be specific.
The school district notified parents with the following message:
“Parents, this is Principal Chazares from Simmons Career Center calling with an important message. We were contacted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office that a vehicle in our parking lot may have a weapon in it. We were notified the tip stemmed from an incident that occurred off campus yesterday. We were able to identify the truck in our parking lot and the student who owns the truck. We searched it and did find a gun in the truck. The student never threatened anyone with it. And again, it was found in a truck in the parking lot, not in our school. No weapons are allowed on school property and the student was arrested. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Thank you.”
This comes after police say two loaded guns were found in a students backpack at Blake High School last week, leaving parents taking their concerns up with the school board on Tuesday.
“You got our kids worried, not wanting to go to school,” one parent told school board members.
“There’s no reason that my child should not be able to go to sleep at night because she’s afraid and she’s worried about whether or not she’s going to make it home,” another parent added.
Some parents suggest metal detectors.
“We’re having a lot of conversation about whether that’s feasible and whether that would be a benefit to our district,” school board member Jessica Vaughn said.
Others brought up clear book bags.
“When we looked at another county that did it, they started to put in exclusions for, are there personal hygiene products, or are there things that kids can keep a separate sack for,” Vaughn said. “Once you have all of these things that you’re allowing not clarity in the backpacks, is it even worth it?”
As the school board figures out next steps, the 16-year-old from Plant City faces charges for having a firearm on school property and for being a minor in possession of a firearm.
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