By Matt Wiley
Rumors can be devastating in high school, especially when they concern a weapon on campus. Thankfully, the rumor of a gun on Wharton High’s New Tampa campus was dispelled after a lockdown and class-by-class search on May 29.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), just after school started on May 29, a student reported to a staff member at New Tampa’s Paul R. Wharton High that he had seen another student in possession of a handgun at the school’s Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. campus. Once the School Resource Deputy (SRD) was notified, Wharton went on full lockdown so that HCSO deputies could search the school.
HCSO reports that the student who reportedly had a firearm was located and identified by the witness, but was uncooperative. The classroom-by-classroom search went on for the rest of the day and lasted more than an hour past the normally scheduled 3 p.m. dismissal time. Deputies searched not only the school itself, but also the school’s athletic fields and a nearby wooded area.
No weapon was found and students were dismissed just past 4 p.m. The strong HCSO presence caused traffic congestion along southbound BBD to back up past County Line Rd. in Wesley Chapel. No further information is available.
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