He detained an individual parked in a car in front of TJ High.
Frederick, Md (KM). A School Resource Officer is credited with keeping a bad situation at Governor Thomas Johnson High School from getting worse.
Spokesman Todd Wivell with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office says last Tuesday, April 20th, at around 3:00 PM, officials at TJ High noticed a Honda Accord parked in front of the school with the engine running. They told SRO Deputy 1st Class Dustin Turner who went out to investigate. The deputy approached the car and saw the driver was asleep. He woke him up by tapping on the door.
As the occupant rolled down the window, Deputy Turner detected the odor of marijuana, and began a search. “He found more than 26 grams of in-bag weight of marijuana, a pellet handgun, an empty 16-round, 9 millimeter Smith and Wesson and magazine, and a box of 9 millimeter ammunition with 16 round in it,” Wivell says.
The man inside the car is a known gang member and a convicted felon with previous charges of armed robbery in Montgomery County, according to Wivell. He says this man is expected to be charged in Frederick County for illegal possession of ammunition.
The individual was detained and a no-trespassing order was issued.
Wivell says the Deputy Turner, serving as the School Resource Officer, made a big difference. “The School Resource Officer program is a hot topic right now in Maryland and across the United States. And this is a prime example of how that program works first hand,” he says. “The school did not have to call a deputy and wait for a response. By Deputy Turner being there in the school he was able to quickly respond and be out there and do the right thing.”
Wivell also says the investigation is continuing, particularly into why this individual was parked in front of TJ High. “It’s kind of unique that he was being parked out in front of the school, be sleeping with the car running. But all that’s still part of the investigation that’s going on right now,” he says.
By Kevin McManus