CCSD police arrest teen for gun possession on school campus
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On Friday afternoon, school police announced that they arrested an 18-year-old male for having a gun on campus at Northwest Career and Technical Academy on Tropical Parkway. Video by ktnv.com
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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- A week after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, the idea that it could happen anywhere hit too close to home.
On Friday afternoon, school police announced that they arrested an 18-year-old male for having a gun on campus at Northwest Career and Technical Academy on Tropical Parkway.
"When officers made contact with him as part of the conversation they discovered that he had a weapon in his vehicle," Capt. Ken Young, CCSD Police, said.
Young said a responsible parent tipped off police around 8 a.m. Friday morning. It's one of dozens of rumored threats against local schools police were investigating this week, but this one was true.
"I think this shows that we have been very credible," Young said. "We do look at the rumors very seriously and we do go after the information."
Police say the teen, Jake Howell, told them he was visiting friends at the school where 1500 students attend. Inside his car, police said they found an SKS assault rifle, but the gun wasn't loaded. Police also found ammunition and small knives.
"I think everybody can envision that this could have been a major incident whether it was a fully automatic weapon or even a hand gun," Young said.
In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, school police stepped up their presence at local schools looking for anything out of the ordinary.
"Anything that looked like a student may be acting out of the norm officers were making contact with those students," Young said.
Police said they're thankful to alert parents and students for helping them stop something that could have been much worse.
Police said they don't know what Howell's intentions were, but he was charged with a misdemeanor for having a firearm on a school campus.
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