For the second time in less than a month, a student has been caught with a gun at La Plata High School, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.
About 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, a student told a school administrator a 14-year-old boy showed her a bullet, according to a letter from the principal to parents. The boy was found to be in possession of a handgun and bullets, and a school resource officer removed him from the school. He faces school punishment that could include expulsion.
Why the student had the gun and ammunition is under investigation.
The student was charged as a juvenile with several charges, including possession of a weapon on school property, possession of a loaded handgun and carrying a concealed dangerous weapon, the sheriff’s office said.
Due to his age and other circumstances, he can’t be charged as an adult, but in an incident last month, 16-year-old Kristopher Alexander Raul McDonald was charged as an adult with several charges, including possession of a weapon on school property, possession of drugs with intent to distribute while armed, loaded handgun on person and carrying a concealed dangerous weapon.
A teacher called a school administrator March 19 with suspicions McDonald was on drugs, according to the sheriff’s office. He was carrying a loaded gun and a container of pot brownies. There was no evidence he intended to use the gun.
La Plata’s principal said their director of school safety and security will meet with students to discuss school safety. Parents and guardians are invited to a meeting in the La Plata auditorium at 7 p.m. April 16 to discuss these gun incidents and offer feedback about possible solutions.
