Student charged for bringing .38 caliber revolver and three rounds of ammo to school

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — A 16-year-old Centennial student has been charged after bringing a gun to school on Thursday.

School staff discovered the gun when the student walked through a metal detector.

The Champaign County State's Attorney's Office charged the student with one count of Unlawful Use of Weapons, which is a class 3 felony. Judge Roger Webber said that the student is a risk to the public and has ordered that he be detained at the Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center.

The student told the officers who took him into custody that he carries the gun for protection but would not reveal how he obtained the firearm. He faces a possible sentence of 2 to 5 years incarceration in the Department of Juvenile Justice, or up to his 21st birthday.

He has no prior criminal history.