The saga of the missing toilet gun continues, and somehow this story keeps getting worse every day. What started as a school resource officer leaving a gun behind in a bathroom at Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois, has now turned into a missing weapon investigation involving multiple arrests, canceled classes, administrative leave, and a police handgun that is apparently still roaming free in the community.
Earlier this week, the school resource officer reportedly removed his gun from its holster while using the bathroom at the school. Because apparently even guns need to drop a deuce now and then. The officer then somehow managed to leave the weapon behind and did not realize it was missing until after students had already been dismissed for the day. By that point, the school was thrown into chaos as police searched the building, reviewed surveillance footage, and brought in K-9 units while classes were canceled the following day.
Investigators now say an 18-year-old student, identified as Juan Pablo Sanchez Jaramillo, allegedly took the unattended gun from the restroom after dismissal and hid it. According to police, the gun was later given to a 17-year-old juvenile from a neighboring community. Both suspects have now been charged in connection with the incident, which means this officially graduated from “embarrassing mistake” to “criminal investigation” in record time.
Meanwhile, police have managed to recover a tactical flashlight that had been attached to the firearm. So congratulations to everyone involved on locating the gun accessory. Unfortunately, the actual gun itself remains missing, which feels like a fairly important detail. It is hard not to appreciate the accidental comedy of authorities repeatedly announcing that they found the flashlight but not the loaded police weapon the flashlight was attached to. Somewhere out there is a handgun wandering around like it got separated from its luggage at O’Hare.
Officials continue to insist the school campus is safe, though police are also publicly acknowledging that a missing duty weapon somewhere in the immediate area is a concern for public safety. Those two statements do not exactly fit together comfortably. Families are apparently supposed to feel reassured while authorities simultaneously ask the public for help locating a missing police firearm that disappeared because a trained cop lost it during a bathroom break.
The school resource officer has now been placed on administrative leave, which is probably the least surprising development in this entire story. Leaving a gun unattended in a school restroom long enough for a student to allegedly take it is not the kind of mistake that inspires confidence. This was not a split-second accident during some emergency situation. A trained officer removed a gun from his holster in a school bathroom and failed to notice it was gone until the end of the school day.
At this point, the whole thing feels less like a serious security operation and more like the world’s worst game of hide-and-seek. We’re not talking about somebody’s hoodie or gym shoes disappearing. This is about a loaded police handgun that was treated with less respect than a set of car keys.
So, is my point in posting these stories to humiliate the Arlington Heights Police Department? No, although it is fun. The point is that guns do not belong in schools even when carried by police. It puts the gun too close to the students.
(Sources)
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