KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Officials are speaking out after a loaded gun was found in a teen's backpack at Ottawa Hills High School on Tuesday.
“It's not a good story. But you know, I think it could be used to move the city in an even better direction,” said Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom.
The gun, which was stolen, was found in a 15-year-old's bag when the student went through metal detectors at the school.
Winstrom said despite this case, Grand Rapids is seeing less juvenile-involved violence thanks to prevention measures.
"And I have seen whether it's the leadership GRPS neighborhood organizations or just family members, I've seen a lot of people come out, saying what is it that we can do so that we don't fail our kids,” Winstrom said.
The Kent County Prosecutor's Office charged the teen with one count of carrying a concealed weapon and one count of the weapons-free school zone violation. Both are felonies.
The teen was also charged with minor in possession of marijuana, which is a misdemeanor charge.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said these charges don't mean life behind bars, but rather a chance for rehabilitation and ultimately, change.
"I mean, that's, that's the whole idea of the juvenile system is to rehabilitate. And so that's what we try and do in a situation is very, it's not necessarily he's going face incarceration, but they'll try and hopefully, figure out what's going on with his family with his juvenile and try and get the appropriate programming, whatever that may be,” Becker said.
Winstrom said he agrees with this idea.
"Whether it's academics, whether it's sports, whether it's the arts, to make sure that the kids in Grand Rapids feel supported, feel that they have enough healthy things in their lives that picking up a gun is the last thing they think about,” Winstrom said.
Police are still investigating whether an adult is criminally involved in the case and where the gun was stolen from.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone.