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By LEANORA MINAI
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 9, 2001
PINELLAS PARK -- A 19-year-old Pinellas Park High School student was arrested Thursday after police said he bought a short rifle on campus.
Terence R. Richardson was charged with possession of a short rifle and firearm on school property, according to an arrest affidavit.
Richardson told police he bought the .22-caliber rifle and clip with five rounds of ammunition at the high school for $50 on Wednesday, the affidavit said.
He kept the semiautomatic weapon in his book bag until he got home, police said. When he got to his home in St. Petersburg, his mother found the rifle and brought it to Pinellas Park High School on Thursday morning.
Pinellas Park police Sgt. Sanfield Forseth said Richardson has not told detectives who sold him the rifle.
"We believe it's another student," Forseth said.
Richardson, an 11th-grader, also would not tell police why he bought the gun, Forseth said.
"Young people, I guess, look at guns as a symbol of power," Forseth said.
Richardson and his mother could not be reached for comment.
Ron Stone, spokesman for Pinellas County schools, said a letter went home Thursday to parents of the 2,234 high school students.
"We can assure you that we strive to make Pinellas Park High School campus safe and secure for our staff and students," wrote John W. Reynolds, assistant principal.
In 1988, a student killed an assistant principal and wounded two other educators at Pinellas Park High School.
Richardson, who has been suspended, was released on $30,000 bail from the Pinellas County Jail on Thursday.