VALLEY — A Valley High School student was arrested Tuesday, Aug. 14 for bringing a gun to school, according to Valley Police Chief Tommy Weldon.

The 16-year-old had reportedly shown the gun to another student before the school’s resource officer was alerted to the situation.

“The officers got some information where a 16-year-old had a pistol that he had shown to another student,” Weldon said. “Someone reported it and the officer made contact with him and recovered the pistol.”

Weldon said that the gun was a .380 caliber pistol that the suspect said he had bought himself.

“He had not made any threats to anybody or said anything about using the gun,” Weldon said. “He told officers that he had bought the pistol from someone, but wouldn’t say who or from where, and that he was going to give it to his granddaddy for his birthday.”

The student was arrested, charged with carrying a concealed weapon and taken to the Lee County Youth Development Center in Opelika. According to Weldon, he will have a hearing with the school system, juvenile court and could face up to a year of suspension from school.

Chambers County School Superintendent Dr. Kelli Hodge said that the situation was handled professionally and according to plans set in place by the school district.

“The situation was handled according to our safety plan,” she said. “Thankfully our administration has built relationships with students where they feel comfortable reporting. The situation was handled and resolved quickly by administration and SROs to ensure everyone’s safety. I am very thankful to our administrators and SROs who were able to handle the situation so effectively.”