RICHLAND COUNTY (WACH) -- Richland County deputies arrested a high school student at Richland Northeast for carrying a gun on campus Thursday afternoon.
The arrest came after other students saw the 16-year-old boy with a pistol in his backpack and reported it to the School Resource Officer. Officials pulled the boy out of class to find he had taken the gun off school property to hide it in a wooded area.
Deputies found the gun where the boy said he had placed it and transported him to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Sheriff Leon Lott praises the students who reported the sighting and encourages others to immediately report any suspicious activity on campus.
A WACH Fox News crew arrived on the scene shortly before students were released for the day at the normal time. The mood seemed like a normal day on campus and any hype had appeared to have already passed.
We talked to several students who said they had all heard rumors about the boy bringing a gun into the school, but they never felt threatened at any time. One girl says she knows the teen and believes he brought the gun to show off to his friends.
"It didn't scare me," says student Aerial Rawlinson.
"Richland Northeast is good about keeping its students safe," adds student Tiffany Ricks.
On a similar topic, officials hosted a ribbon cutting Thursday for the grand opening of the Columbia Youth Safe Haven at Hammond Village.
It is one nine sites across the U.S. and is funded through the Eisenhower Foundation, which has committed a $300,000 in the Capital City over three years.
The YSH has already attracted nearly 60 children.
Organizers say the program will create a "safety net" for children in the community.
“It helps not only the child, but the parent,” according to program coordinator Michael Myers.
After-school activities at the YSH are focused on academics
“I think it is a good thing to keep the kids out of trouble,” says Hammond Village resident Sherry Harkless, “as long as they have positive guidance in front of them, they will go the right way.”
“I do believe it is easier for our young people to become susceptible to that wrong avenue, but it is never hopeless,” adds Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott.
If the program is successful, organizers want to expand it throughout the Midlands.
Those between the ages of 6 to 13 who live in and around Hammond Village may apply to participate in the YSH.
For more information or to volunteer contact Mike Myers at 803-733-8687 or 803-376-6215
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWACH