According to Pottsville Police Chief Richard Wojciechowsky, on Friday morning, Pottsville Area High School officials received information from students that a weapon had been possessed on school property this morning.
School officials instituted an internal restricted movement procedure with classes continuing while police conducted an immediate investigation. School officials and officers were quickly able to identify the students involved and discovered that one of the actors had left the building prior to awareness of the incident.
Police located the student, a male 17 year old sophomore, in the block of North 6th Street. A search revealed he was in possession of a black air pistol and a pocket knife. Police learned that the 17 year old had asked a 16 year old 10th grade male student to hold the pistol for him in school earlier in the day, which the 16 yr old did. The 17 yr old then retrieved it before leaving the school building and being contacted by police.
Juvenile Allegations were prepared charging both students with Possession of a Weapon on School Property and Persistent Disorderly Conduct. Custody of the juveniles was then turned over form Pottsville Police to Schuylkill County Juvenile Authorities who instituted an evaluation process prior to a decision being made as to placement of the juveniles pending further court action.
The Pottsville Bureau of Police was contacted by Pottsville Area High School administrators who reported that students had provided information to them that a weapon had been possessed on school property this morning.