Science Hill High School student Ben Neis-Eldridge was arrested at the school’s Liberty Bell campus in Johnson City, TN, after administrators became suspicious that the 18-year-old was wearing a trench coat all buttoned up.
Neis-Eldridge was taken out of his US History class at the school’s 8-9 campus to speak to officers, who located the weapon around 9:45 a.m.
School officials immediately put both the Science Hill and Liberty Bell campuses on lock-down.
According to one of his classmates, Neis-Eldridge is “really nice, kinda crazy though…he decapitated his pig in biology,” says the student. “I really think he just had a gun because he’s really weird. I could never see him using it.”
Neis-Eldridge has worked for the past few months at a local restaurant. His manager describes him as an “all-around good guy,” saying he is “responsible, positive and upbeat.”
No students were injured, and the lock-down was lifted around noon.
Officers are still investigating the incident, including why the teen took the gun to school.
UPDATE:
Authorities say that Benjamin Schon Neis-Eldridge had a .22 caliber handgun and ammunition in his possession, and that his backpack also contained a small glass jar with a “leafy green substance believed to be marijuana.”
The SHHS senior was jailed in the Washington County Detention Center on an $11,000 bond. A Sessions Court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday.
lead photo: Science Hill High School yearbook