A 14 year-old student at Osceola Middle School in Okeechobee has been charged with aggravated assault after pretending that he had a gun on campus.
According to a release from the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office, the 14-year-old boy admitted to authorities that he had threatened another student on Thursday, saying he was going to bring a gun to school. On Friday the student wore an oversized "hoodie" sweater with a single large, double-hand pocket across the front.
Several students reported seeing the 14-year-old gripping something with the outline of a handgun inside the front pocket of the hoodie. When they asked if he'd brought the gun to school as he'd threatened to do, the 14-year-old reportedly gripped an object inside his hoodie front pocket tightly and said, "Yes!"
The other students immediately told staff about the incident and within minutes, school administrators ordered a complete lockdown and called 911.
Numerous law enforcement officers responded from both the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office and the Okeechobee City Police, as well as the on-site School Resource Deputy.
According to the Sheriff's release, the student in question was apprehended "within the first four minutes after being identified". The classroom was secured, searched, and cleared of other students.
During questioning, the boy admitted that he had told other students he had a gun and intentionally made those around him believe he was gripping a gun inside his hoodie. The object in the hoodie pocket however turned out to be only a small plastic bottle of Lipton Ice Tea.
The student was charged with; Aggravated Assault, a felony, and Disruption of School Proceedings, a second-degree misdemeanor. He was booked into the Okeechobee County Jail.
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