Update: Ex-Gregori student, 16, arrested in school lot with rifle, ammo in car

A former student was arrested by sheriff's deputies early in the school day at Gregori High on Thursday for having a rifle in his car.

An alert parent told school security that the 16-year-old was sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot near the student drop-off area. Security staff quickly located him, still sitting in the car, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.

The teen confirmed he had a rifle in the car. Sheriff's deputies who responded to the call searched the car and found, in addition to the unloaded weapon, "miscellaneous ammunition," the news release said. "... The former student did not make any threats against the school, students, or staff before or during this incident. His reason for coming campus was to retrieve personal property he believed he left in a locker."

The 16-year-old was arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall. He faces charges of being a dismissed student disrupting school operations, unauthorized entry onto school grounds, possession of a firearm in school zone and possession of ammunition on school grounds, according to the Sheriff's Department.

A parent who informed The Bee of the incident said the weapon reportedly was a Mossberg .22-caliber rifle. The Sheriff's Department news release did not provide that detail.

A brief statement from Modesto City Schools spokeswoman Becky Fortuna said the Sheriff's Department account of the incident was accurate and "We are grateful to the parent who identified the former student in the parking lot, and the swift action by the school’s safety team and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department."

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Update: Ex-Gregori student, 16, arrested in school lot with rifle, ammo in car."