WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A student at North Forsyth High School has been arrested after a firearm was found in his vehicle, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.
On Monday, a deputy assigned to the school as a School Resource Officer received an anonymous tip about a possible weapon on campus. Deputies searched the students involved but did not locate a firearm. A Forsyth County K-9 officer was then called to search a vehicle in the parking lot that the students had exited. The K-9 alerted on the vehicle, and deputies found a gun hidden under the passenger seat, the sheriff’s office said.
Juan Pablo Mendoza, 18, of Winston-Salem, was arrested and charged with felony possession of a weapon on educational property, misdemeanor carrying a concealed gun, and three counts of misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. He is being held at the Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center under a $5,000 secured bond. Mendoza is scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 205 of the Forsyth County Courthouse.
“We are thankful for the collaboration between the North Forsyth High School administration, students and our School Resource Officers which led to this arrest,” Chief Deputy Henry C. Gray Jr. said in a statement. “There is no place for weapons on school campuses. We are committed to ensuring a safe learning environment, and we will not be swayed in our efforts.”