Police: Woodridge Student Admits to Weapons Purchase

Editor’s note: The original post raised concern among readers over whether a gun was brought to Woodridge High School. According to school officials and Cuyahoga Falls police, there was never a gun on school grounds, nor was there any alarm among students, staff or faculty.

On April 16 at 8:58 a.m., a Woodridge High School counselor notified Cuyahoga Falls police that a student had approached her and admitted to illegally purchasing a .357 magnum revolver from an unknown man in Akron.

The 17-year-old student said he had buried the handgun near a creek in Cuyahoga Falls, and told police he and his brother had purchased it for self-defense, according to Falls Police Chief Tom Pozza. 

Officers escorted the student to where the gun was buried and confiscated it.

The student was charged with underage possession of a weapon, a second-degree misdemeanor, and was referred to Summit County Juvenile Court, said Pozza.

Pozza said his department doesn’t plan on finding or questioning the Akron man who sold the gun to the student.

Under Ohio law, residents must be 21 or older to purchase a handgun and 18 or older to purchase a shotgun, he added. 

Woodridge Schools Superintendent Walter Davis corresponded with Patch via email, saying the student faced no disciplinary action from the school district since “…there was never any issue related to (the) school.”

Initial April 16 report

At about 9 a.m. Tuesday, a Woodridge High School staff member contacted police, saying a student might have a gun. 

Officers investigated and determined there was no gun and no threat, according to Cuyahoga Falls police. 

"We were never in any danger of any kind," said Woodridge Schools Superintendent Walter Davis. "Rumors get started and, of course, you have to investigate them. . .No rules were violated. No one's in trouble, in fact, the student in question is a good, well-behaved student."