A high school student in Wisconsin was arrested after a school security officer found a gun in his pocket Wednesday.
Beloit Memorial High School went into a soft lockdown for around 30 minutes after the weapon was discovered, meaning no one was allowed in or out of classrooms or the building.
The security officer was searching the 17-year-old student because he smelled marijuana when the student walked by, according to gazettextra.com. Marijuana and a handgun were recovered from his person.
RELATED: Study Finds Decrease in Drug Use Among High School Students
The student was charged with possession of a firearm in a school zone, possession of a weapon by a person under 18 and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver in a school zone.
The following day, school officials searched backpacks as students entered the school. A spokesman for the school district said the bag checks were the result of social media rumors about a threat to the school. Those rumors were not directly related to the weapon discovery.
“It was really a non-incident, but we took the precaution as a matter of protocol” District Spokesman Brian Leaf said. “We wanted to make sure everybody knew they were safe at Beloit Memorial High School today.”
Read Next: Marijuana Problems at Ind. High School End with Student’s Arrest
