HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — West Ottawa Public Schools passed a scary test with flying colors on Thursday, involving a student with a gun and an incident that ended without violence — no shots fired, no one injured.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Capt. Mark Bennett said the 17-year-old West Ottawa High student is in custody, facing one count each of possession of a stolen gun and having a gun in a gun-free zone.
School authorities were alerted by the teen’s classmate just before 10:30 Thursday morning. Two Ottawa County Sheriff’s school-resource deputies found the student and arrested him.
By 11:20 classes were resuming. Minutes later, parents began receiving text messages about the incident. West Ottawa School officials later released a letter with more detail. District officials called it an “unfortunate isolated incident.”
Superintendent Tom Martin’s note also said “…we are proud of our students and staff at West Ottawa High School for efficiently following our school safety procedures. The strong relationship and collaborative communication of students and staff resulted in a proactive resolution…”
Bennett said police continue investigating.
