LW West Teen Who Allegedly Brought Loaded Handgun to School Charged as an Adult

Bail on Tuesday was set at $250,000 for a 16-year-old Lincoln-Way West student who allegedly brought a loaded, semi-automatic handgun to the school Monday in his backpack.

The student, New Lenox resident Jack Gaul has been charged as an adult with unlawful use of a weapon in school. Assistant State’s Attorney Joel Brown told the judge “there is some slight indication that he did intend to use the gun,” as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

The student had shown the gun to friends at a party over the weekend. A female student then reported that he might have brought it with him to school on Monday. Staff searched his bag and found the handgun before the start of school.

The teen’s parents called the charge excessive, arguing he had no intention of harming anyone, and was ”a great kid who did a dumb thing,” his father Joseph Gaul said after the hearing. The teen’s attorney said any further investigation will yield no evidence against the student.

If Gaul is able to post the $25,000 bond, he will be restricted to a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m curfew at home, and prohibited from making any contact with any Lincoln-Way student or staff, either on or off school grounds, either in person or by electronic means, according to the Tribune.

The gun belonged to the student’s mother, Diane Ritchie, who requested her son be permitted to attend a mental health treatment program if he is released on bond.

His next court hearing is set for Nov. 24.