A Madison high school student faces charges for having a gun on school property, while a middle school student in Waupun has been suspended after allegedly threatening to bring a gun to school. Both incidents occurred on Wednesday.
The high school student was arrested by Madison police after the teen was observed in a classroom loading bullets into a magazine. The 17-year-old faces tentative charges for possession of firearm in a school zone and possession of a dangerous weapon.
According to an incident report, the MPD officer assigned to La Follette High School was informed that the student had been seen with the magazine, and it was later determined the student had a loaded gun in his car which was parked near the school.
The teen made no threats to students or staff and told police he has the gun for protection.
In Waupun, a middle school student has been suspended for allegedly making a threat to take a gun to school. Waupun Police Chief Dale Heeringa said the 13-year-old boy was overheard having a conversation about the death penalty on a school bus Wednesday afternoon. According to Heeringa, the boy felt people were not being punished stringently enough and then he made some comments about firearms and bringing them to school.
Heeringa said his department’s school liaison officer and the school district talked about the situation and it was decided the teen should be suspended, although it didn’t appear that the threat was something the boy planned to follow through on.