Gun found in school parking lot

Officials found a gun in a vehicle in the student parking lot at Willow Springs High School on Friday afternoon. The school released a brief statement via their WSR4 Safety Facebook page 12:12 p.m.

“There was no threat associated with finding the gun, and the situation was handled without incident,” reads the statement.

The announcement goes on to say parents were made aware “as soon as it was practical” to do so. 

In an interview Monday, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marty Spence said K9 unit performing a random drug search alerted to a pistol and ammunition in a high school student’s truck. The presence of the firearm was “not specifically” connected to hunting activities or deer season, Dr. Spence reported.

The school campus was already on a soft lockdown because of the presence of the K9 unit. School officials were able to contain the student and conduct their investigation without interrupting the school day.

School Resource Officer Glen Moore interviewed the student and their parent, and based on his training and experience, determined that the presence of the pistol was not a danger to the school or the community. 

“It was never an active threat,” Dr. Spence told Howell County News.

The school implemented the penalty required by the Missouri Safe Schools Act, and the federal Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994: a one calendar year suspension. 

“There’s no room for error…There was really no option,” Dr. Spence said, “pending a [school] board review. The suspension can be lessened upon recommendation from the superintendent.”

The superintendent was not able to comment on whether he would make such a recommendation with respect to this incident. The school does not expect criminal charges to issue.