A Miami-Yoder student faces multiple charges after a handgun was found at the eastern El Paso County school last week.

At about 12:45 p.m. Thursday, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call from a school employee who said a school security officer detained a student after finding a handgun in the student’s backpack, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

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The 12-year-old student had shown another student the weapon on a school bus the previous day, the Sheriff’s Office said in its news release. After being notified, school security and staff searched the student’s locker and found the handgun in the student’s backpack. The gun was not loaded.

The student’s parents were notified and took the student home after meeting with school administration, the release stated.

Deputies responded to the student’s home address and met with the student and family. They learned the student had found the unloaded weapon in the house before taking it to school. 

“This situation highlights why it’s crucial for parents to regularly check their children’s belongings before and after school,” El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal said in a statement. “It is crucial to stay informed about your child’s communications, whereabouts, friendships, and any potential access to contraband or weapons.”

The student faces charges of unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon, illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile and unlawfully carrying a weapon on school grounds. 

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