Four students at Palatka Junior-Senior High School were arrested and face charges after a gun was found on campus, authorities said. According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred Monday when a student overheard peers discussing a firearm and reported it to school administrators, prompting a lockdown, News4Jax reported.
Law enforcement discovered that the students, ages 15 to 17, had exchanged text messages about the firearm and discussed attempting to improperly repair it. The gun, which had been passed among the four students during the day, was ultimately recovered by authorities. The Putnam County School District praised the student who reported the incident and reiterated its zero-tolerance policy for weapons on campus.
All four students were arrested and charged with possession of a firearm on a school campus, a third-degree felony, and disruption of a school function, a misdemeanor. Following the arrests, one student was found with a THC vape and faces additional charges for introducing contraband into a jail facility and possession of marijuana, First Coast News stated.
