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The incident took place around 7:48 a.m., Tuesday, May 14, when an attentive school security official at the Poughkeepsie High School discovered a student attempting to enter the school with a loaded handgun in a backpack, said City of Poughkeepsie Police Capt. Richard T. Wilson.
The security guard secured the weapon and brought the student to a nearby office. School officials then notified the City of Poughkeepsie Police, Wilson said.
At the time of the incident, school staff and early arriving students were present on campus, therefore the school followed security protocols that included placing the school in lockdown, he added.
Numerous officers and detectives from the department responded to the high school. The student was taken into police custody and transported to police headquarters.
City Police and school officials found no further threats to the safety of students or staff. Officers assisted high school staff in releasing the lockdown and ensuring the safe and orderly admittance of incoming students, Wilson said.
The student charged in the incident is Quentin L. Wiggins, 19, of Poughkeepsie, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds.
Wiggins is being held in City of Poughkeepsie lockup pending his arraignment in City Court.
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