An 18-year-old student at Lanier College & Career Academy (LCCA) in Oakwood was arrested Friday, May 2, after authorities allegedly discovered a loaded handgun and multiple THC vaping devices in his backpack during a routine safety sweep, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
At 1:30 p.m., the school’s resource officer, accompanied by his K-9 partner Zena, was conducting a standard sweep when the dog alerted to a book bag in a classroom. A search of the bag allegedly uncovered a loaded .45 caliber handgun with an altered serial number, along with several THC vape cartridges.
The bag’s owner, Joshua Brent Edwards of Gainesville, was detained and questioned in the school’s administrative office before being taken into custody. He was later transported to the Hall County Jail, where he faces multiple charges, including: Possession of a firearm on school property, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number and possession of THC vape cartridges on school property.
As of Friday afternoon, Edwards was undergoing the booking process at the jail.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office issued a correction on the spelling of the suspect’s middle name. It is Brent, not Brant, as previously reported.
