Two teenagers are facing felony charges in connection to a firearm that was allegedly stolen at an Arlington Heights school earlier this week.
The weapon went missing Monday afternoon when a school resource officer assigned to Forest View Education Center in the northwest suburb removed his firearm from his holster while using the restroom just before school let out for the day. After dismissal, the officer realized the weapon was gone and searched the restroom but couldn’t find it, local authorities have stated.
Arlington Heights police, in a news release Wednesday night, said detectives had since determined Juan Pablo Sanchez Jaramillo, an 18-year-old student at Forest View from Mount Prospect, removed the unattended firearm from the bathroom. Sanchez Jaramillo allegedly proceeded to conceal the weapon and remove it from school grounds, then gave it to a 17-year-old in a neighboring community, police said.
Tuesday night, detectives executed a search warrant in a nearby town where the stolen handgun was last seen. They found a flashlight that had been mounted to the firearm when it was taken, police said. The firearm itself remained missing as of Wednesday’s release.
Sanchez Jaramillo has been charged with one count of unlawful possession of a weapon in a school, police said. The 17-year-old has likewise been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon in a school, as well as one count of possession of a stolen firearm.
Sanchez Jaramillo was due in court for an initial detention hearing Thursday.
Classes at Forest View were canceled Tuesday but resumed Wednesday. Arlington Heights police have said the resource officer was placed on administrative leave pending a formal internal affairs investigation. The department also expressed its regret over the “unfortunate and embarrassing incident,” and assured it will conduct a comprehensive review.
