PORTALES, N.M. -- A Portales teenager faces charges after bringing handgun parts and knives to school. According to the Clovis News Journal, the 15-year-old boy faces a fourth-degree felony and misdemeanor charges for bringing weapons on campus.
The teen is charged with unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon on school premises, a fourth-degree felony, and unlawful possession of a handgun, a misdemeanor.
According to police records:
An officer was called to Portales High School just after noon Wednesday in reference to a student in possession of a deadly weapon.
School administrators told the officer the teenager revealed a 9 mm handgun barrel to a teacher. The boy was taken to the office, where administrators searched his backpack. They found a 9 mm handgun frame, spring and bolt as well as an 8-inch knife the student said was decorative. The handgun parts were insufficient for assembly into a working gun.
While administrators searched the backpack, the teenager spontaneously and voluntarily emptied his pockets, revealing a 4-inch folding knife. The boy was removed from school.
The school's principal Melvin Nusser told the paper, as per standard procedure, the student was suspended for 10 days pending a discipline hearing.
