NEWBERRY — A Newberry High School student has been charged with carrying a weapon on school property after he was found with a gun on Thursday.
School resource officer and administrators secured and safely removed the gun from Quinderaus Lindler, 17, of 1615 Dominick Ave., Newberry.
Sheriff Lee Foster said that the weapon was located in the student’s backpack and was not displayed and no threats were made to anyone with the weapon. The weapon was discovered as part of an unrelated investigation. The weapon was a 9mm pistol. There were bullets in the clip, but no round was in the chamber.
“I would like to commend both the staff and SRO at Newberry High School for their safe and professional handling of this situation,” Foster said. “This is certainly a very serious situation and this is clear proof that our partnership and training with the school district is critical to handling such incidents.”
“Ensuring the safety and security of District students and employees is our top priority, and the situation that occurred on Thursday morning was handled immediately by the District and local law enforcement in compliance with the District’s established safety procedures,” said School District of Newberry County Superintendent Jim Suber. “Matters involving firearms are handled in accordance with Newberry County School District’s student disciplinary policies and state law. To that end, the District is not able to comment on any action taken with respect to any individual students.”
Both leaders said that the investigation to why and how the gun was brought to the school was still under investigation, but at this point there was no indication of a specific threat to any staff or students.
“The District continues to properly monitor the protection and well being of our students and employees, which is paramount. We encourage our families to speak with their children about safety and to reiterate that the District has an open-door policy with regard to any individual concerns or complaints about these types of issues that affect our community and our schools. We stand committed to the success of our students, which includes providing a learning environment that is safe and secure for everyone,” Suber said.