ORLANDO, Fla. – Two Boone High School students were arrested after a gun was found on campus.
Around 7:30 a.m. Friday, Orlando Police Department school resource officers were tipped off about a student carrying a suspected handgun on campus, an arrest affidavit states.
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Police say they quickly located the 17-year-old female 10th-grade student and found a loaded 9mm handgun in her backpack. Upon further investigation, police determined the teen was given the gun to carry with her by her boyfriend, 19-year-old Lovensky Cesalien, who is a 12th-grade student at the school, with plans to return the firearm to him later.
The affidavit states the teen girl wasn’t sure what Cesalien put in her backpack at first, but upon seeing that it was a gun, she was too scared to tell a school employee and stated that Cesalien asked her to carry the gun because he was scared he would be searched.
Cesalien, who is legally deaf, was later detained on campus.
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Both students were charged with possession of a firearm on a school campus. Cesalien was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to an audio message sent by Boone High School Principal Hector Meastre to parents, the weapon was never displayed in a threatening manner.
Just last month, Orange County Public Schools ended its high school metal detector pilot program citing costs and complications to implement.
“The walk-through weapon detection system was piloted at four high schools last year. It was determined that the district would not implement the program districtwide. This was determined due to the overall cost and the required number of staff it would take to run the system on a daily basis. The district has deployed the existing units to all of our high schools where they are being used to supplement our hand-held scanners as part of our random security screenings and during major events. OCPS remains vigilant in providing safe learning and working environments for our students and staff. Boone High School did not have a random security screening last Friday.”
- Orange County Public Schools
Friday’s incident at Boone High School marks the second time this week that a gun was found at a Central Florida high school. On Wednesday, Lake Brantley High School activated a “code yellow” after Altamonte Springs police say a student brought a gun to school and was later arrested.
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