CULPEPER, Va. (WUSA9) -- Three Culpeper County schools were on modified lockdown after a student who brought a pellet gun onto a bus was arrested, Culpeper County Sheriff's Office said.
The schools entered lockdown after initial reports indicated that the 15-year-old 9th-grade student had brought a handgun on the bus. Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins says the weapon had the appearance of a handgun and the suspect had claimed it was, but an inspection of the gun once recovered revealed it was a pellet gun.
Middle School, Culpeper County High School, and the TRIER Alternative School were on lockdown because of the incident, according to Culpeper County Public Schools Facebook page.
The lockdown was prompted after several students reported seeing a student with a handgun on a bus Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the students did not report the possible handgun to faculty members until Wednesday, Jenkins said.
"Today, it took hours for students to say something. I commend the students who did speak up, but all children need to remember that when they see something, say something," Jenkins said.
Sheriff's deputies then began searching for the student on school grounds. He was eventually spotted on the school's security cameras leaving school property heading towards the town of Culpepper.
The suspect was taken into custody at around 11:40 a.m. in his pickup truck. However, Jenkins says the suspect did not have a weapon in their custody and was uncooperative regarding the location of the weapon.
The weapon was later found at another person's home and determined to be a pellet gun. However, the lockdown continued out of protocol, Jenkins said.
The student also made what the Jenkins described as "descriptive" threats as to what he intended to do with the gun on the bus.
Virginia State police said no injuries have been reported in connection with the incident.
Charges against the student are not certain at this point due to the ongoing nature of the incident.
Like this story? Like WUSA9 on Facebook.
MORE NEWS:
