Student caught with gun pleads guilty, says Centralia High School parent

In February a Centralia High School student was taken into custody by police after officers and school administrators found a gun and ammunition in their backpack. On Tuesday a sergeant with the Centralia Police Department confirmed that a dispute over a girlfriend occurred before the incident between the 15-year-old and another student.

Penny Tallman, a parent of a CHS student, says her son was the other student involved in the dispute prior to the gun being found by police. Tallman says her son was “intended target” of the student who brought the handgun to school on the school bus.

Tallman said the dispute between her son and the student was over her son’s previous girlfriend, who was the student’s current girlfriend. She added that the incident has impacted her son.

“He didn’t want to go out of the house. He did miss a week of school,” Tallman said. “I don’t know how long it will take to go away, or if it will go away.”

After the student was taken into custody the case was moved to juvenile court. Court documents related to juvenile cases are not accessible to the public.

Tallman says a restraining order has been placed between her son and the student that was taken into custody. She also said that the student has pleaded guilty to bringing a gun to school, and is scheduled to be sentenced in March.

Tallman added that her family and lawyers intend on pursuing further legal action.

“I’ve got to look out for my son,” Tallman said. “If that child is let back into the community, I don’t know where we go.”