GONZALES, LA (WAFB) -
A 19-year-old St. Amant man was arrested Tuesday morning after being seen with what witnesses thought was a handgun. According to police, Blaine Dearmond was walking outside the secured perimeter of East Ascension High School and was seen cocking the weapon.
A Juvenile Detective with the Gonzales Police Department was serving as the school's Resource Officer at the time was able to apprehend Dearmond. The detective found the weapon was an air pistol. It is used to shoot BB's, but it looked like a real handgun.
After Dearmond was taken into custody, he was brought to the Gonzales Police Station to determine why he brought the air gun to the school. During the interview, investigators learned that Dearmond was currently on probation for burglaries in Ascension Parish.
According to police, Dearmond had just been kicked out of his home after his father was arrested for an unrelated matter. Dearmond told investigators, that he retrieved the look-a-like weapon from his father's residence Tuesday morning and was meeting another individual outside of East Ascension High School to give it to him.
According to Gonzales Police, there is no merit to the explanation given by Dearmond for his actions and it's the opinion of investigators that Dearmond wanted to be arrested.
"We at the Gonzales Police Department take great interest and pride in providing security for our city schools. We want to assure Students, Parents, and Faculty members that the Gonzales Police Department will not tolerate this type of activity. We will deal with this type of event or any other event, which threatens the security of our schools, quickly and as severely as the law will allow," said Det Sgt Steven Nethken of the Gonzales Police Department in a news release.
Blaine Dearmond was booked into Ascension Parish Prison on terrorizing charges that carry a maximum fine of $15,000 and 15 years in prison.
Copyright 2013 WAFB. All rights reserved.
Blaine Dearmond (Source: Gonzales Police Department)
Airgun (Source: GPD)
