Dutch Fork student had gun at school, police say

A Dutch Fork High School student was arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Police say that Michael Hilton, 18, had a gun in his backpack at Dutch Fork on Wednesday. A Richland County Sheriff’s Department school resource officer arrested Hilton around 4 p.m.

“At no time was there a threat or danger to students, faculty, or staff,” police said a statement.

Hilton was transported to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

According to a statement from Lexington-Richland School District 5: “A staff member at the school initially alerted school officials, and administrators acted quickly and appropriately once they received the report of a weapon on campus. As the police report states, no specific threats were made to staff or students. Law enforcement took immediate action to bring this matter to a quick close.

Today’s incident served as important reminder that we all - students, staff and parents - share a responsibility for school safety to report suspicious, out-of-the-ordinary activity in our schools. Safety is a top priority, and we will continue to work with law enforcement to ensure our schools remain safe places to learn.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2017 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Dutch Fork student had gun at school, police say."