Student accused of bringing pellet gun to Jackson-Madison Co. middle school

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — A student at a Jackson-Madison County middle school is in trouble with the law after the sheriff’s department says he brought a pellet gun to school.

Madison County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Tom Mapes says a male student at Northeast Middle School was taken into custody Monday after students told school staff he had a gun in his backpack.

“Everybody is so sensitive right now with all the stories you hear nationwide, especially with our kids in school, so everybody’s extra cautious right now and we want to overreact just to be sure we’re on top of everything,” Mapes said.

The student was escorted to the office, and deputies and school officials found a black and silver pellet gun.

School officials say the gun did not contain pellets and that they did not find any pellets with the student.

One parent, Sabrina Davis, was concerned the school didn’t notify them of the incident. She heard about it from her daughter. “She said, ‘a little boy kind of threatened me,’ and I said, ‘What do you mean he kind of threatened you?’ She said, ‘he threatened me with a gun,'” Davis said.

The student is charged with possession/carrying a weapon on school property and has been cited into juvenile court.

“The school did exactly what they were supposed to do, and we take the concerns of students and any reports students make to the administration very seriously, and the school did that,” Superintendent Verna Ruffin said.

According to the school system, the parents took the student home and he will be out of the school until a disciplinary board hearing that will determine any disciplinary action.