ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — The Ross County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting an investigation following reports that a student allegedly brought a gun to school and showed it to fellow students on a bus. The incident was reported earlier this week, and law enforcement authorities have been involved in addressing the situation.
The student involved, reports indicate, attends Adena Local Schools. The sheriff’s office has chosen to withhold the student’s name due to their age.
According to the report filed by the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a complaint on May 10 regarding a student on an Adena bus who reportedly displayed a gun concealed in a book bag. Upon arriving at the complainant’s residence, deputies interviewed a student and their parent.
During the conversation with the parent, it was revealed that their daughter had witnessed the student on the bus showing what they said appeared to be a small black handgun. The daughter reported that while she was seated, the student allegedly asked her, “Do you want to see my strap?” The student then allegedly opened their book bag, revealing the handgun. However, other witnesses only recalled hearing the student talk about having a gun and did not confirm actually seeing it.
Deputies contacted the district’s superintendent, John Balzer, and requested access to the bus’s camera footage. The video showed the student opening their book bag and appearing to show something to another student. Surrounding students were observed paying close attention to the interaction. The audio from the video revealed that the students were engaged in a conversation about guns.
Following these findings, investigators sought approval from the local juvenile magistrate to proceed with intake and criminal charges against the student.
Deputies contacted the student’s guardian, who had been informed about the incident by the school’s principal. The guardian denied the presence of a gun in the book bag and showed deputies the bag, which, the deputy said, did not contain a firearm per the report. Instead, it held a leg brace that the student referred to as a “strap.” The guardian, the report said, mentioned that the student did own a BB gun but was unsure of its current location. The student clarified to deputies that they had only retrieved their cell phone from the book bag during the alleged incident.
The Ross County Sheriff’s Office subsequently arrested the student and transported them to the Juvenile Detention Center.
Detectives involved in the case continued their investigation by interviewing other students who were present on the bus. However, none of the students were able to confirm the existence of a weapon inside the book bag. Some students mentioned that the student in question had something referred to as a “strap” inside.
The incident is currently under review by the Ross County Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office.
The Guardian did reach out to the school district for comment, but at the time of this reporting, have yet to hear back from the district.
