Gun taken to school recovered

SPIRIT LAKE - The pistol that was taken to Timberlake High by a student on May 19 was recovered on Sunday night at the home of one of the boys arrested during the incident.

The 15-year-old boy was booked into the Juvenile Detention Center on a felony possession of a stolen firearm charge. He, along with two other boys and a girl, were earlier arrested after the incident.

The Davis Industries .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol was reported to police by the boy's dad about 8 p.m. on Sunday, Spirit Lake Police Chief Patrick Lawless said. It is owned by a father of another student.

"We're happy to get the gun off the street," Lawless said, adding that it will be returned to the owner. "It brings the case to closure."

Lawless said police are unaware of any threats that were made during the May incident. The gun was loaded when it was brought inside the school, however.

The gun was not found after the incident and was reported by a student as last seen on the school grounds under bushes.

Lawless said the boy arrested on Sunday would not talk about the incident or how it got from the school to his home.

The boy is the only student who now faces a charge in the incident, Lawless said.

Two boys spent time in JDC while another boy and girl were released to their parents after the incident. All four students earlier confessed to possessing it on school property.

One boy earlier told police that he forgot he had the pistol in his pocket after shooting birds earlier in the morning.

School administrators heard a report from a student that a gun was brought to the school. Administrators investigated the allegation, then called police the next day after they realized the report may be true.