LAKEVIEW Authorities weigh case of boy, gun

The boy told police he took the gun to the game as a dare.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CORTLAND -- Juvenile and school authorities are reviewing the case against a Lakeview High School sophomore, arrested Friday night at the Lakeview-Hubbard football game for carrying an unloaded handgun in his pants pocket.
The boy, 15, is charged with illegal conveyance of a firearm in a school zone, Cortland Police Chief Gary Mink said.
The boy was arrested and taken to the Trumbull County Juvenile Justice Center, where, Mink said, he thinks the juvenile spent the weekend.
Monte Horton, magistrate at the Trumbull County Family Court, said court rules won't allow the release of information about the juvenile case.
Police alerted
Police officers were alerted to the gun while on duty at the game. They and three other officers searched the facility for the juvenile, the chief said, and found him under the home seating section near a concession stand.
Officers placed his hands behind his back and found the .25-caliber handgun in his pants pocket, Mink said.
"He claims he did it as a dare," Mink said of the youth. "He said some folks dared him and that's all he would say about it."
Mink said the youth "didn't brandish" the gun "or show it to anyone."
The police chief identified the youth only as a Cortland resident.
Lakeview Superintendent Robert Wilson, who attended the game, said a large crowd was in attendance, but the arrest did not "raise a ruckus."
He credited Cortland officers for doing a nice job of removing the youth without incident.
Previous case
Wilson, in his first year as superintendent, said he remembers only one other incident in the 14 years he was principal at Lakeview High School in which a student was found to have a firearm on school property. That involved a gun found in a school locker.
Wilson said the gun situation will be handled according to school district guidelines to ensure that due process is followed.
If the school proves that a gun was involved, the student receives a suspension hearing, which would be followed by a hearing to determine whether he shall be expelled, Wilson said. Wilson said he doesn't know whether the boy has a history of discipline problems in the school system.
runyan@vindy.com