Director: Lufkin charter school student expelled, arrested after bringing gun to campus

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - The director of a Lufkin charter school has released information about a student who was arrested after bringing a gun to school.

Pineywoods Community Academy Director Monica Gunter said in a letter to parents and guardians, sent out on Feb. 8, and on Jan. 30 at 11 a.m., rumors surfaced in the school that an 8th grader had brought a firearm to school in his backpack. A school administrator searched his backpack but did not find a gun. The 14-year-old student went home, saying he felt sick.

After dismissal that day, Gunter said, PCA administrators received more reports that the student had a gun at school. While he remained off campus, the school’s police department and PCA administrators continued to investigate the situation. They interviewed people on campus, visited the student’s home, and collected the suspected weapon. Gunter said they did find reason to believe that the student did have the gun on campus on Jan. 30. On Feb. 6, he was expelled from PCA.

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Angelina County Court at Law Judge Joe Register found probable cause that the former PCA student committed the offense of “Places Weapons Prohibited” a third-degree felony, and he issued a directive to apprehend.

The PCA police department arrested the former student and booked him into the Angelina County Juvenile Detention Center. The former student remained off campus throughout the investigation, Gunter said, and has since been issued a criminal trespass warning that prohibits him from visiting PCA and attending PCA activities held on or off school campus.