A 13-year-old boy took a gun to Cousins Middle School and showed it to students on the bus, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
Deputies were notified after the boy was seen on his school bus with the gun Monday afternoon. The boy, whose name was not released, was taken into custody before he returned to campus, the sheriff’s office said. He was charged with carrying a weapon in a school safety zone, a felony, and taken to a local youth detention center. No details were released on the type of gun the boy had or if it was loaded.
The incident was among the latest at Georgia schools involving weapons, fake threats of shootings and other hoaxes since the Sept. 4 mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. Four people were killed in the shooting, and a 14-year-old and his father have both been charged in that case.
Late last week, a Duluth Middle School student was arrested after taking a loaded, semiautomatic weapon to school. The student showed the weapon to other students on the bus, who then reported the gun to school administrators, according to Gwinnett County Public Schools police Chief Tony Lockard.
And, a father and son employed at a Rockdale County middle school were arrested last week after allegedly having weapons and making threats, the sheriff’s office said.
Paul Schwartz, 63, an employee at Edwards Middle School, was in possession of two razor blade knives, according to investigators. He was charged with two counts of bringing a weapon onto school grounds. Paul Schwartz Jr., 21, a contracted staff member, was charged with making terroristic threats, the sheriff’s office said.
Police agencies and school districts throughout metro Atlanta repeatedly have warned that any threats to schools, along with any weapons found, will be investigated. The consequences are serious even for juveniles and can include jail time, a criminal record and fines, according to law enforcement agencies.
“This is not as simple as pulling a fire extinguisher handle and pulling an alarm inside a school,” Officer Chuck McPhilamy with Marietta police recently told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “You have diverted all of the resources to that one location, leaving the rest of the community more vulnerable.”
Newton County, like others in the metro area, has had numerous alleged threats leading to arrests in recent days.
On Tuesday, Newton deputies arrested a 12-year-old Indian Creek Middle School student for making electronic threats against a Florida school, the sheriff’s office said. The boy was charged with making terroristic threats and acts.
“The Newton County Sheriff’s Office’s highest priority is the safety of the students and staff in the Newton County School System,” the sheriff’s office said in a Tuesday statement. “It is crucial for parents to educate their children about the serious consequences of bringing weapons to school, making threats toward students and staff and any other acts of violence.”
The threats have also extended outside of the metro area, the GBI said. On Tuesday, the agency said a 12-year-old from Texas was charged after making two bomb threats to two schools in southwest Georgia.
See something, say something
Anyone who hears or sees a threat against a school should immediately report it to local police or school leaders.
The GBI also has a “See Something, Send Something” mobile app, where tips are received and processed by the agency.
Tips can be submitted by mobile devices by downloading the See Send App for iPhone and Android devices from the Google Play or the Apple App Store.
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