A Maryland high school student is being charged as an adult after bringing THC-infused brownies and a loaded handgun on campus.
At around 10:00 a.m. on March 19, a teacher at La Plata High School noticed that 16-year-old Kristopher Raul-Alex McDonald appeared to be intoxicated.
The teacher called an administrator who came and escorted McDonald from the room. A search of the student’s book bag revealed a container of cannabis brownies and a .25 caliber handgun which was fully loaded and cocked with a round in the chamber.
McDonald admitted to having consumed two of the brownies and had intended to distribute others to friends.
A School Resource Officer recovered the brownies and the handgun and arrested McDonald.
McDonald told police that he had purchased the firearm in his neighborhood in October of 2018 for protection, and began carrying it in his book bag in December, reports Southern Maryland News Net. Authorities have no current indication that McDonald had any intention of using the gun.
“The State has no choice but to charge this defendant as an adult,” said State’s Attorney for Charles County, Tony Covington. “The law is very clear: someone 16 years of age or older who is accused of certain crimes must be charged as an adult. McDonald is accused of at least two crimes that require adult charging: possession of a handgun, and possessing a handgun in relation to a drug trafficking crime.”
The student is also facing charges related to cannabis distribution and firearm possession on school property.
Covington says that, even though McDonald is being charged as an adult, he can still ask that the case be handled in juvenile court, though it is unclear what the outcome of such a request might be in the current situation.
