Prosecutors considering whether to charge student for bringing gun to school

CRESCENT, Okla. (AP) -- Logan County prosecutors are mulling whether to file charges against an 18-year-old Crescent High School student who is accused of bringing a gun and ammunition to school.

Todd Henning was suspended from school after officials say they found a .22-caliber pistol in his vehicle on Oct. 2, along with rounds of ammunition, officials said.

Crescent Police Chief Jack Harris said school officials were using a dog to search cars for drugs in the school parking lot when they saw some empty beer cans in the back of Henning's pickup.

Harris said officials searched the pickup because of the beer cans they saw. During the search, they found the gun under the front seat. He said the gun had a gun lock on it.

Crescent schools Superintendent Tim Love said the student showed officials the gun and ammunition after they asked him if it was in his vehicle. The student cooperated fully, he said.

Henning was not arrested because he posed no threat to the other students, Harris said. Henning told police he had been target-practicing during the weekend and forgot to take the gun out of his pickup, Harris said.

Harris said he believes Henning. He said if the district attorney decided to charge Henning, it will ruin the young man's life.

Because of school district policy, Henning was suspended for a year, Harris said.

According to the federal Gun Free Schools Act of 1994, schools must "expel from school for a period of not less than one year a student who is determined to have brought a weapon to school."