This story was updated 2:28 p.m. Feb. 10.
The Carson City Sheriff’s Office conducted a canine-led sweep of Carson High on Friday morning following the Feb. 8 arrest of two juveniles for allegedly possessing a firearm on school grounds.
Sheriff Ken Furlong said the sweep produced no additional weapons. The Nevada Capitol Police provided a powder-sniffing dog for the search.
The juveniles in the Feb. 8 arrest identify as gang members, Furlong said, but the incident is not directly connected to a Jan. 24 shooting in east Carson City. That gang-related shooting on East Carmine Street injured two juveniles and has since raised concerns about a resurgence of youth gang activity in the area.
“The Carson City School District has learned that as a result of an investigation into an unrelated matter on Wednesday, Feb. 8, two individuals were arrested for allegedly possessing a firearm on school grounds on Monday, Feb. 6,” Carson City School District officials said in a statement. “The district is fully supportive of and cooperating with local law enforcement in their investigation. As ever, the district and the sheriff’s office keep the safety and well-being of students as the top priority. We want to assure our families and the community that we continue to be vigilant in our efforts to keep our students, staff and visitors safe."
Furlong said once school district officials discovered a firearm had been brought to school, they reported it to the sheriff’s office. CCSO arrested the juveniles at home.
Furlong is urging parents to secure their firearms.
“Securing firearms at home has to be the primary concern of gunowners,” he said. “We often find juveniles in possession of weapons get them from home unbeknownst to parents. Securing guns at home has to be a priority.”
Friday, District Attorney Jason Woodbury said his office has worked with the school district to review legal parameters of canine searches in public schools.
“The Fourth Amendment protects everyone, including students, from governmental searches which intrude upon a reasonable expectation of privacy,” he said. “That protection is expansive in private settings, such as an individual’s home, but subsides somewhat in more public contexts, such as a school. In cooperation with the school district’s legal counsel, my office has thoroughly researched and reviewed the legal parameters of when and how canine searches may be executed in public schools. We have complete confidence that such searches are compliant with constitutional and statutory limitations, and that any evidence recovered as a result of those searches will be admissible in a criminal or juvenile delinquency proceeding.”
Investigations into both the Jan. 24 shooting and the Feb. 8 arrests are ongoing. Those with information should contact CCSO Investigations Division at 775-283-7856 or 775-887-COPS.