Editor’s Note: The video in the above player is from a previous report.
Two teens were charged in connection with a northwest suburban school resource officer’s gun that went missing after he left it “unattended” in a school bathroom, authorities announced Wednesday.
Arlington Heights Police Department announced 18-year-old Juan Pablo Sanchez Jaramillo of Mount Prospect and an unnamed 17-year-old are facing charges after Sanchez Jaramillo allegedly removed the gun from a bathroom at Forest View Education Center on Monday and gave it to the 17-year-old.
The school’s resource officer, who is also an Arlington Heights police officer, removed his gun from his holster while using the restroom just before students were dismissed for the day, authorities said. The officer realized his firearm was missing shortly after students were released for the day.
Authorities said Sanchez Jaramillo concealed the firearm and removed it from school grounds before giving it to the 17-year-old in a neighboring community.
Police saw a limited number of people had entered the bathroom the officer used when his gun went missing when reviewing hallway surveillance images. The gun was not found after an extensive search of the building and school grounds, prompting administrators to cancel classes on Tuesday as the investigation continued.
On Tuesday night, a search warrant was executed by authorities in an area where the gun was last seen and located a rail-mounted tactical flashlight that was attached to the gun when it was stolen, AHPD said. Authorities were unable to locate the gun during an extensive search of an apartment in the area.
The 17-year-old was then placed under arrest and transported to the Arlington Heights Police Department, authorities said.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a single count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in a School against Sanchez Jaramillo.
The 17-year-old is facing charges of Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in a School, in addition to a misdemeanor count of Theft of Lost or Mislaid Property.
Sanchez Jaramillo will appear in court for a detention hearing on Thursday.
The announcement of charges comes just one day after classes were cancelled at the school amid an investigation and police announcing that a person of interest was in custody related to the incident.
The School Resource Officer involved remains on administrative leave and a formal internal affairs investigation is still underway, authorities said.
AHPD is asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of the stolen handgun to contact police at 847-368-5300 or via email at policemail@vah.com
