TWO TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AT LHS
LIBERTY – On Thursday morning, May 18, 2023, at approximately 6:59 AM, Liberty Police Department School Resource Officer Michelle Hebert received information regarding a student who had reportedly brought a handgun to Liberty High School which is located at 2615 Jefferson Drive in the City of Liberty, Liberty County, Texas.
According to sources, a fifteen-year-old white male juvenile had allegedly posted a photograph of himself, holding what appeared to be a handgun, to social media. It was instantly apparent, based on the subject’s surroundings in the photo, that the digital image had been generated in a Liberty High School restroom.
Due to the direct concern for the safety and welfare of all students and faculty attending the school, a high degree of importance is placed on situations of this nature. SRO Hebert instantly notified Liberty PD Dispatch and requested additional units to assist with searching for the student involved and to aid with an attempt to recover and secure the firearm.
By 7:39 AM, the juvenile student, who was prominently featured in the photograph, was located; however, this subject no longer had possession of the alleged handgun. Through the course of investigation, which involved the reviewing of school surveillance video, LPD Officers learned the identity of several students who had exited the restroom around the time the photograph was taken and posted. When these students were approached by school administrators and law enforcement, a second subject, identified as seventeen-year-old B/M Darwin Jermaine Taylor (DOB: 01/13/2006) of Liberty, removed a backpack and attempted to leave that item outside the room. This action drew suspicion and Taylor was found to be in possession of what appeared to be a weapon, matching the weapon depicted in the photograph, concealed inside the backpack. Officers took possession of the item and learned that what had initially appeared to have been a .380 caliber SigSauer semi-automatic handgun, was actually a SigSauer Airsoft CO2 pistol, a very realistic replica. The Airsoft pistol was seized as evidence.
Both the juvenile and the adult offenders were taken into custody on a charge of Disorderly Conduct Discharge/Display Firearm, a Class B Misdemeanor. The juvenile was referred to the Liberty County Juvenile Department while the adult was transported to the Liberty County Jail. The case will be presented to the County Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Liberty Independent School District Administration addressed this issue and posted a message on the school web page, located at www.lhs.libertyisd.net. The notice reads, “We are aware of a social media post concerning the presence of a student with a weapon on the Liberty High School campus. With the support of the Liberty Police Department, this report has been investigated and there is no active threat at this time. All of our campuses remain safe and secure and LPD will remain on campus today. Awards at LHS will still be held as scheduled.”