MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — A Collier County high school student is facing some serious consequences after he admitted to bringing a gun onto his school's campus Wednesday afternoon.
According to a report from the Marco Island Police department, a school resource officer was told by school personnel at the Marco Island Academy that students had been overheard discussing that somone may have brought a gun to campus. The officer soon learned that "someone" was a 17-year-old student, who confessed that he had an unloaded rifle in his vehicle. He told the officer that he had left it in there after hunting.
"No matter what you did the weekend before, even if it's an innocent mistake, it's a crime," said Trish Routte, Coordinator for Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.
The student faces a third-degree felony. He was arrested and taken to a juvenile detention facility. Routte said that the incident will likely stain the student's record until he's at least 24 years old.
"When you go to apply for college, they're going to ask 'have you ever been arrested for a felony?' If you have to check that box 'yes,' you're probably not getting into that school," she said.
She added that in the security-conscious world after the deadly Parkland shootings, it's important for students to tell an adult if they have any information about a gun on campus - or any school threat.
"If you're in a school where something like this has happened, you probably know either first-hand or through the rumor mill who is responsible," Routte said. "We need young adults to step up to the plate."
Anyone with information about a school threat, and wishes to remain anonymous, is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477.)
