Local News
Gun on campus leads to charges
Incident connected to vehicle burglaries
Athens school officials are scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday for students who allegedly brought a stolen handgun onto the high school campus in mid-December, Superintendent Dr. Fred Hayes said Tuesday.
The students could be expelled at that hearing.
Four students, three of them juveniles, are being charged with possessing and/or exhibiting a firearm on school property — which would be a clear violation of the district’s zero tolerance policy regarding guns and drugs on campus. The students could be suspended for up to a year if school officials determine the policy was, in fact, violated.
The names of the students are not being released.
Hayes said there is no indication the students intended to use the gun to harm anyone on campus, and he said he doesn’t believe it was discharged. According to a public statement released by school district Police Chief Paul Redic, the students apparently brought the gun back to the campus several hours after it was stolen to sell it to someone for $50.
“We handled (the situation) in accordance with our policy,” Hayes said. “Our administration and our police department handled it well. But I hate that it happened.”
Additionally, two of the juveniles — ages 16 and 14 — have been hit with multiple charges of burglary of a vehicle from the Athens Police Department. Athens Police Chief Buddy Hill said the charges stem from five to six local vehicle burglaries reported Dec. 17 and Dec. 18.
According to reports from the Athens Police Department, a handgun was stolen from the vehicle of an off-duty Henderson County sheriff’s deputy on Dec. 17. The vehicle was parked at the Cain Center.
Later that evening, the juveniles allegedly arranged to meet with another person at Athens High School in an attempt to sell the weapon. The gun changed hands at that time, although money apparently wasn’t involved. Hayes said students had already been released for the day by the time the gun was brought to campus. Students, he said, had early release at 2 p.m. from Dec. 17 through Dec. 19 — the last day of school before Christmas break. A basketball tournament was ongoing on campus, however.
Athens Police say the individual who received the gun was not aware it was stolen. That person cooperated with police and assisted in the recovery of the gun. He is not being charged with a crime.
The Athens Police investigation began to gather steam the following day when a person witnessed a youth attempting to open a vehicle door around 12:20 p.m. in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church of Athens. The witness called police, and an officer responded to the scene and questioned the youth — who had since climbed into a vehicle waiting to pick him up.
Further questioning revealed information about other vehicle burglaries around the city, including the one at the Cain Center the previous day.
- Local News
-
-
AEDC board approves two performance agreements
The Athens Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors approved two performance agreements on Thursday.
The proposed agreements with Abby Development and the Athens Jet Center are very similar, said AEDC President/CEO Brian Malone.
He said the agreement with Abby Development provides a maximum incentive of $75,000 for infrastructure. -
Local historic treasure recovered
Athens Masonic Lodge No. 165 recovered tokens from its past — both large and small — from a building it had once called its own.
Lodge Secretary Randy Daniel, who is Athens’ mayor, said members retrieved two time capsules last Saturday with the permission of the Ginger Murchison Foundation, the current owner of the building.
The lodge, he said, met on that corner, the southwest corner of the Henderson County Courthouse square, for about 75 years. -
Eustace FFA does well in Fort Worth, San Antonio
The Eustace FFA Show teams have been very busy since the beginning of the year with competitions at two major stock shows.
-
Church News
Church News will run as items are received, based on available space. Items running in Church News will not be published in the Community Calendar.
-
Tenth grade poetry
Athens Christian Preparatory makes writing a priority. Tenth grade students who had poems chosen for national publication are shown.
-
Community Calendar
Community Calendar runs daily in the Review.
-
On the right track
Eustace’s Justin Bersterman takes a handoff from Austin White as they practice their relay before the Athens High School Track Meet.
-
Chamber optimistic about 2010
The Athens Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors are working to make 2010 a big year, according to Chamber Chairman Michael “Mo” Morrison.
-
Scholarship available through HCRSPA
If your senior son or daughter plans to attend a college or university in the summer and/or fall, and pursue a program in which he or she will receive teacher certification, a major in education or a teaching degree in a subject area with teacher certification, then this scholarship is for you.
-
Two injured after highway collision
Two people were injured Wednesday when a pickup truck driven by a 13-year-old boy attempted to drive across U.S. Highway 175, only to be struck by a west-bound motorist.
- More Local News Headlines
-
AEDC board approves two performance agreements
