Student arrested after ghost gun found in locker at high school in Santa Rosa

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SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A 16-year-old student at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa was arrested Friday after a loaded ghost gun was allegedly found in his gym locker, police said.

It's the second time in as many months that authorities have been called to the school and discovered a firearm in a student's locker.

School officials were first alerted on Thursday morning by an anonymous tip about the gun and searched the boy's two lockers at the school. Police also contacted one of his parents and searched his backpack. Nothing was found at the time.

On Friday morning, however, school officials called police again about the same student.

"An alert teacher had noticed the student placing items in his P.E. locker prior to class with another student standing near him, apparently intentionally blocking the teacher's view of the locker and its contents," police said in a news release.

Based on the students' suspicious behavior and the anonymous tip from the day before, the teacher searched the locker and allegedly found a loaded 9mm firearm.

The teen was detained and brought to the office by school staff. His regular locker was searched, but no weapons or evidence was found there.

Police said the gun is a privately manufactured firearm known as a ghost gun, which doesn't have a serial number and isn't registered with the government.

Police also searched his home in the 300 block of Wall Place in Santa Rosa and another home in the 7000 block of Marsh Way in Cotati. No evidence was found during either search.

The gun found in the gym locker was loaded with two rounds of ammunition, including one in the chamber. Police said no threats had been made to use the firearm.

The teen was arrested and booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of possession of a firearm on school grounds, possession of an unregistered firearm and being a minor in possession of a firearm.

The tip came through the STOPit program, which allows users to request help or alert others in various situations.

It's not the first time police have been called to the school in recent months to investigate a STOPit report of a firearm at the Montgomery High campus.

On Oct. 30, police were alerted by a school administrator that three 16-year-old students brought at least one gun to school.

Officers detained the students and found that one of them had allegedly stored a handgun with a loaded magazine stored in his school locker. He was booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of possession of a loaded handgun on campus, and being a minor in possession of a handgun.

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