The Waupaca County district attorney’s office has filed charges against the girl who allegedly brought a handgun to Waupaca High School on Tuesday, April 16.
She faces a felony charge for possession of a firearm in a school, as well as misdemeanor charges of possession of a weapon by a minor and carrying of a concealed weapon without a permit.
Assistant District Attorney James Fassbender, who is prosecuting the case, has also filed a petition to have the girl waived into adult court.
Although the girl is now 16, Fassbender noted that she will soon turn 17.
“Once we get past all of the hearings, she would have less than a year of juvenile supervision,” Fassbender told the County Post West. “Once they turn 18 under juvenile supervision, court orders are not very effective. Making it work is extraordinarily difficult.”
Fassbender said a hearing date has not been set yet on the petition to waive the girl into adult court.
Juvenile criminal records are not accessible to the public.
Fassbender said the severity of the offense is also an issue that he considered when seeking a waiver.
Judges often review a defendant’s mental health when deciding whether to waive a juvenile case into adult court.
There have been mental health proceedings in this case, according to Fassbender.
According to Waupaca School District Administrator Dave Poeschl, a high school student notified administrators that the girl had brought a gun to school at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. She had already left the school by that time.
Police were contacted about the incident at approximately 6:18 a.m. Wednesday, according to Waupaca Police Chief Tim Goke. Officers were told that the student had concealed the weapon in a handbag and had shown it to another student.
After obtaining a description of the handgun, police went to the suspect’s home, where they found a .40-caliber handgun.