Court hearing set for Hempfield students in school gun case
Oct. 10—Three Hempfield Area High School students charged last week with possessing guns on school property are scheduled to appear in court this month.
They are being prosecuted in the juvenile court system and are scheduled to appear for adjudication hearings Oct. 26 before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michele Bononi.
Officials confirmed the three juveniles, ages 16 and 15, were charged with felony gun counts as well as receiving stolen property and causing or risking catastrophe, and several misdemeanors. At least one student is charged with theft.
One juvenile is facing 11 criminal counts, and the other two are charged with seven offenses each, according to court officials.
The names of the three students have not been released.
State law prohibits officials from releasing details about cases involving children charged with crimes in juvenile court. Because all three teens are at least 14 years old and charged with felony offenses, their hearings will be conducted in open court.
The cases stem from an Oct. 2 incident in which school officials and police claim three male students passed two loaded handguns — a .38-caliber and a .22-caliber — on a school bus and in a bathroom at Hempfield Area High School.
Police said both firearms were stolen.
The incident caused a lockdown at the high school that day and prompted increased security measures.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
