Police confirmed through a press release that a Riverhead High School student was arrested Friday afternoon for bringing more than a dozen .22 caliber bullets to school. The authorities also said that there is no evidence that a rifle or any other type of weapon, consistent with the ammunition, had been within the premises of the educational center.
The minor arrested, a 14-year-old boy, told investigating officers that he found the ammunition on a shelf at his brother's business, police said.
An investigation by the authorities was able to establish that the .22 caliber rifle legally belongs to a member of the student's family, and is safely kept outside the minor's place of residence, the police statement said.
Riverhead police also said the student who brought the bullets to school gave one of them to a fellow student, who handed it over to the school's security guard.
According to a statement sent to the community by Riverhead School District Superintendent Augustine Tornatore, a student found a stray bullet in a high school hallway and took it to district administration, later a second student arrived with another bullet that coincided with the first.
The district said the situation led to an emergency general lockdown of the school, as a precautionary measure, while authorities investigated the event and ensured there was no danger to students and staff.
“At no time were there any students, faculty or staff in danger,” Tornatore said.
Riverhead police said the boy who brought the bullets to school was arrested, arraigned and released with a ticket to appear in Suffolk County Family Court at a later date.
Editor's Note: A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
