Teen charged after he brought a kitchen knife to a high school in Columbia, police say
A teenager was charged Tuesday after he was found with a weapon on the campus of a Midlands high school, according to the Columbia Police Department.
The 16-year-old student, who was not publicly identified because he’s a minor, brought a kitchen knife to Dreher High School, police said. The Richland 1 school is at 3319 Millwood Ave. in the Devine Street area.
Information about how the knife was discovered was not available, but police said that school administrators reported the incident to the school resource officer.
No injuries were reported.
There was no word if the student threatened anyone with the knife.
The teen was charged with carrying a weapon on school property and was released to a parent, according to police. He’ll have to return to family court at a later date, police said.
There was no word if the high school was placed on any kind of lockdown, or other security protocol, or if the student will face punishment from the district or school.
This is the second time in as many days that a student was found with a weapon at a high school in the Midlands.
On Monday, a 14-year-old student at Westwood High brought a loaded gun to the school in Blythewood, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Officials at the Richland 2 school were alerted to the weapon after the student went through a metal detector, the sheriff’s department said.
The 14-year-old was taken to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds and possession of a weapon under 18, according to the sheriff’s department.
No injuries were reported in Monday’s incident.
