Sprague student arrested after bringing loaded handgun to school
Police arrested a Sprague High School student who attempted to bring a loaded handgun through the school’s weapon detection system Tuesday morning.
Salem police responded to the south Salem school around 9:20 a.m., midway through the school’s first period.
“School staff had detained the student and secured the firearm before our arrival. There was no disturbance or threat of harm to any staff or students,” Salem police spokesman Sgt. Jon Hardy said in an email.
The student was escorted to the office to wait for police and not allowed in school, according to a message to Sprague families from Principal Chad Barkes.
The 17-year-old boy was transported to the Marion County Juvenile Department and remains in detention, said Juvenile Director Troy Gregg.
He is lodged on accusations of unlawful possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm in public, Gregg said, but has not been formally charged with a crime. He is due to appear in court Wednesday.
Gregg said the boy had previous involvement with the juvenile department.
Juvenile court records are generally confidential under state law, and Salem Reporter typically does not identify minors accused of crimes.
Aaron Harada, Salem-Keizer School District spokesman, said he did not have information about why the student brought a gun to school and referred questions on motive to Salem police.
Hardy said he wouldn’t comment on the student’s motive because of the ongoing police investigation. He also declined to answer questions about the gun’s make or how many rounds were in the magazine.
It’s the first time the district’s weapons screening systems have caught a firearm, Harada said.
Sprague added weapon detectors last February. Detectors are in place at all district high schools with the exception of some smaller campuses that house alternative programs.
“Due to the process of our standard screening, our safety team was able to remain in possession of the weapon throughout the screening process and was able to confiscate the weapon without the need to place our school into a lockdown,” Barkes’ message said.
State law requires schools to expel students who bring firearms to school unless the superintendent makes an exception.
Gregg said so far this fall, incidents of juvenile weapons charges have been decreasing, but the past few weeks have seen an uptick.
This story was updated with information from the Marion County Juvenile Department.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for over a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
