Student caught with loaded gun at Richland County high school arrested, sheriff says
Two teenagers were charged in separate incidents Monday after one allegedly made threats toward a Midlands high school, while another teen was accused of having a loaded gun at another school in Columbia, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.
In one incident, an 18-year-old who recently withdrew from Cardinal Newman High School was charged with student threats, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
On March 31, Evan Nathaniel Musto withdrew as a student from the school in Columbia, according to the release. Information on why he left the school was not available.
The next day, Musto was accused of sending a message to a student currently enrolled at Cardinal Newman which contained threats against the school and three faculty members, the sheriff’s department said.
The student who received the message told school administrators about the threats and they requested additional security for a soccer game that night, before Musto was arrested without incident at his home Monday afternoon, according to the release.
No bond has been set for Musto, who was being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, jail records show.
Following a bond hearing, Musto is scheduled to next appear in court on May 27, Richland County judicial records show.
In an unrelated incident, a 16-year-old student at another Richland County high school was arrested Monday.
A loaded handgun was found in a student’s vehicle on the campus of Spring Valley High School, the sheriff’s department said. The discovery was made after an administrator was given a tip and searched the vehicle at the Richland 2 school on Sparkleberry Lane, according to a news release.
The administrator also found marijuana inside the vehicle, the sheriff’s department said.
No threats were made regarding the weapon or school, according to the release.
There was no word if the high school was placed on any kind of lockdown, or if parents were notified about the situation during the incident.
The student, who was not publicly identified, was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon by a person under 18, possession of a weapon on school grounds and simple possession of marijuana, the sheriff’s department said.
Information on where the student got the gun was not available.
There was no word if the 16-year-old was locked up or released to the custody of parents or guardians.
No injuries were reported in either incident.
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