ROY — A Roy High School student was arrested Thursday for carrying a firearm into the school.

According to an emailed statement from Lane Findlay, Weber School District spokesman, district officials had been alerted to the presence of a student with a gun earlier in the day.

“We immediately contacted law enforcement and the student was detained,” the statement said. “As a precaution, the school was placed in the ‘Hold’ protocol during this time.”

Findlay said a hold protocol differs greatly from a lockdown.

“A lockdown is when there is an active threat inside the building,” he said. “The ‘hold’ protocol requires everyone to remain in their current location until further notice. It’s often used for incidents that don’t rise to the level of a lockdown where we don’t want people moving around inside the building.”

He added that the matter was dealt with quickly.

“Police did find the student was in possession of a firearm,” Findlay said. “We do not believe the student had any specific plans to use the gun. The student is now facing criminal charges and disciplinary action related to the possession of a firearm on school grounds. We appreciate the quick response of the Roy Police Department in handling this situation and ensuring that our school is safe.”

A press release was posted to the Roy Police Department to its Facebook page shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday describing the incident. The release notes that the school’s school resource officer received an anonymous tip around 12:30 p.m. that a student was in possession of a firearm. The school was placed into the hold while the officer and school administrators proceeded to the classroom the student was in. The student, a 15-year-old male, was removed from the classroom and the officer located a handgun loaded with ammunition in his possession.

“In an interview with the student and his parents, it was discovered that the firearm belongs to his father,” the release said. “The juvenile informed the officer that without his parents’ knowledge, he was able to obtain the firearm from his fathers locked gun safe. There was information that this incident may have gang connections. The juvenile did advise he possessed the firearm for protection.”

The release added that “there is no information that the juvenile suspect was in possession of the weapon for any other reason than what was described for his general protection.”

The juvenile was taken into custody and booked into the Weber Valley Detention Center.

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