OKEECHOBEE -- A student at the Okeechobee Freshman Campus was arrested Tuesday for bringing a loaded firearm to the school and had 36 extra live rounds with him in his backpack.

Antonio Keith Bartell, 16, N.W. 10th Ave., Okeechobee was arrested on felony charges of possession of a firearm on school property and carrying a concealed firearm. He was booked into the Okeechobee County Jail and then transported to St. Lucie Regional Detention Center, where he was later released on home detention.



It should be noted that the assistant state attorney heading the case, Terry Tribble, “intends on filing charges against Bartell at a future date as an adult,” affording him the opportunity to post bond and be released back into the community.

According to the arrest report by School Resource Officer Deputy Maria Camacho, of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, Bartell was in the court yard during lunch when she became aware of the situation aforementioned and proceeded to separate Bartell from his backpack.

Deputy Camacho stated in the report that she asked Bartell to keep his hands visible to her while she escorted him to her office where she patted him down for safety reasons.

Upon searching the bag, a Heritage .22 caliber revolver was found inside a green holster that was fully loaded with six rounds of ammunition, 36 live rounds, and 18 empty .22 caliber casings, noted the report.

The report pointed out that the firearm was stolen out of Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office in Texas.