Peoria student arrested for allegedly bringing gun to school in car
Feb 21, 2018, 1:22 PM | Updated: 4:21 pm
Michael Helt, 18. (Photo: Peoria Police Department)
(Photo: Peoria Police Department)
PHOENIX — A teenager was arrested in a Peoria on Wednesday on suspicion of having a gun in his car that was parked on school grounds.
The Peoria Police Department said 18-year-old Michael Helt was arrested before classes began at Liberty High School. The school is located near Deer Valley Road and 91st Avenue.
Police said they received an anonymous tip about the gun and searched the car.
Helt told investigators that he accidentally brought the weapon to school. Police said the student had not made threats toward the school or others.
“These matters are extremely serious in nature, cause disruption of an educational institution, and are not tolerated by the Peoria Unified School District or the Peoria Police Department,” a statement from police said.
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Helt was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail on one count of carrying a weapon on school grounds.
The charge was preliminary, meaning it could be changed or more could be added.
The arrest came days after a different student was arrested on suspicion of bringing a loaded gun onto the Sierra Linda High School campus, while a third was put in handcuffs for having a gun in his car.
Tensions have been high on campuses nationwide after at least 17 people were shot and killed at a Florida high school.
