On August 18, 2022 School Resource Deputies at Columbia High School received a tip of a student who was possibly in possession of firearm coming onto the campus. The tip was received by our agency from a partnering law enforcement agency who was working a separate investigation.
Deputy Cortese and school administration located the student in the parking lot of the school and verified that the student did in fact have a firearm in their possession. The student has been identified as 17 year old Nicholas Moreland. Nicholas was placed under arrest and transported to the Columbia County Detention Facility where he was charged with possession of a firearm on a school campus. Nicholas’ intent in bringing the firearm to school remains under investigation.
In a statement, Sheriff Mark Hunter said, “We are grateful for those who partner with us to keep our children safe. I want to assure the community we will aggressively investigate any concern involving school safety, and we encourage people to speak out when there is a potential threat.”
The sheriff’s office continues to work with school district officials to proactively ensure the safety of all of our campuses.
