15-year old Nick Norris was escorted out of the Ontario County Courthouse Friday after pleading guilty to charges related to bringing a gun to Red Jacket High School in April.
Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts says it’s a good outcome.
“We can’t have children taking guns to school,” Ritts said Friday. “We can’t have children using guns in school.”
Student pleads guilty to charges involving bringing gun to school (video)
Officials say Norris brought a concealed loaded handgun with a spare magazine into the high school, but the principal intervened, and no one was hurt.
Norris pleaded guilty to Kidnapping in the Second Degree, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree occurring on school grounds, and one Count of Attempted Robbery in the First Degree.
Norris sentenced to 3-9 years with the Office of Children and Family Services
The sentence is an indeterminate three years with a maximum of nine years with the Office of Children and Family Services.
“Because he’s 15 years old he will not be transported to an adult prison, he will be taken to a secure facility run by the Office of Children and Family services to serve his sentence,” Ritts said. “The expectation is he will be getting front loaded with a lot of treatment to deal with any issues that he has that led him to where he is today.”
More: Sheriff: Student brought loaded handgun, additional magazine to Red Jacket High School on Friday
Student’s parents say he has PTSD
Off camera, we spoke with Norris parents. They tell us he is suffering from Oppositional Defiance Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and they are disappointed with the outcome.
Ontario County Sheriff Lieutenant David Cirencione worked with Ritts on this case, and says there’s a lesson to learn.
“Talk to your kids about situations like this because so often when these incidents happen in the schools, we hear about these warning signs that were there,” Cirencione said. “Friends and acquaintances of these kids saw things, heard things, suspected things but didn’t tell anyone.”
Rebecca is a veteran multimedia journalist serving as one of our core reporters in the Finger Lakes region. She is responsible for telling stories that matter to every day Upstate New Yorkers. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].