A Bradford High School student was arrested for bringing a BB gun to school Wednesday morning.
The Bradford County Sheriff’s Office charged the student with possession of a weapon after the black plastic Daisy BB gun was found in his backpack.
School Resource Officer Shaun Burgin and a Bradford High School assistant principal received a photo from another student showing the handle of a handgun tucked in the defendant’s waistband.
Burgin and the assistant principal removed the student from the classroom and checked his backpack.
The BB gun found was a replication of a full sized semi-automatic handgun without a colored tip to indicate it was a toy, according to an update on Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith's Facebook page.
The student said he brought the gun to school for “protection” and did not disclose any specifics.
“He has already been taken care of,” said Lila Sellars, who is secretary to Bradford County Superintendent Chad Farnsworth. “The student is off campus and parents have been notified.”
Officials called parents in Bradford County received calls from the school district with updates on the status of the campus.
“Law enforcement is involved," Sellars said. "All children are safe.”
The defendant and his parents are currently working through the pending judicial process at the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office, said Capt. Brad Smith.
The Department of Juvenile Justice will decide if he will be held in custody or returned to his parents during the judicial process, depending on his arrest history, Smith said.
The Bradford County School Board will handle issues dealing with his status as a student, according to a post on Sheriff Smith's Facebook page.
Smith said weapons have rarely been brought on school grounds in the last two years. He said this incident was never a serious concern to the school because of the way it was handled.
“There have been two other arrests made in other school campuses in Bradford County, of weapons on school grounds. Most of those were pocket knives,” he said.
“We’re thankful it was a BB gun and not a high-caliber arm. It’s still a weapon and there’s no tolerance for to be on the school ground.”