Vt. student may face expulsion over rifle found in car

ESSEX, Vt. -- An 18-year-old Essex High School student will not face criminal charges for having a .22-caliber rifle in his car in the school parking lot, but he could face expulsion for having the firearm on school grounds, officials say.

The student, a senior whose name was not released, has not returned to school since Wednesday.

Lieutenant Brad LaRose said the student told police he did not intend to bring the rifle into school or use it during school hours. No ammunition was found in the student's vehicle.

''The student was extremely cooperative right from the start," LaRose said. ''He said he uses it after school for target practicing out in the woods."

Under Vermont law, possession of a weapon inside a school building is a crime, but bringing a weapon onto school property outside a building is a crime only if there is intent to injure others.

Mike Deweese, Chittenden Central Supervisory Union school superintendent, said the student would probably face a hearing before the union school board, with the possibility of expulsion.

''The school district intends to vigilantly enforce the Gun Free Schools Act," Deweese said, referring to state and federal laws that require school districts to expel students who bring a gun into schools. ''There's no distinction between in a building or on property."

Deweese said the gun was found after two students told a school administrator that they knew about the gun.

According to school district policy, any student found with a weapon at school will automatically be taken before the union school board for an expulsion hearing, although the board can impose whatever punishment it deems appropriate. Wednesday's incident occurred five months after an Essex High School sophomore was found carrying an unloaded .45-caliber handgun in his backpack during school hours.