Teen held on 3 felonies after .45-caliber firearm discovery at Ottawa High School

One of two teens facing charges after a firearm was found in a locker at Ottawa High School on Tuesday afternoon was ordered held Wednesday in the La Salle County Detention Home.

At an emergency hearing in La Salle County Circuit Court, the youth was presented with three felony charges and detained until at least Oct. 29, the date of his next hearing. The charges are unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm and disorderly conduct.

An adult would face up to five years in prison for unlawful use of a weapon, a Class 3 felony and the most serious of the three counts, but juvenile offenders are subject to a more diverse array of sentencing options.

The La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office disclosed that the weapon was a .45-caliber Springfield Armory. The case remains under investigation, the office said, and additional charges are under review.

The student believed to have brought the weapon into the school, along with another student believed to have knowledge of it, were taken to the Ottawa Police Department while the school’s resource officer continued to investigate at the school, police said.

As a result of the investigation, juvenile referrals were completed for both students on complaints of unlawful use of a weapon in that police said they each had been in possession of the same firearm. The student suspected of bringing the weapon into the school was taken into custody while the other student was released to a parent.