Johnston Early College student apprehended after Johnston Community College placed on lockdown

Johnston Community College (JCC) was placed on lockdown on Thursday following reports that a person was headed to campus with a gun.

Johnston County Public School System learned about a potentially armed person on the way to JCC's campus on College Road at some point during Thursday morning.

The suspect, a student at Early College Academy, was apprehended in the parking lot and never entered a campus building, according to JCC.

Smithfield police confirmed the student did not have a gun, but possessed a small amount of marijuana. He was released to his parents. The student is a minor and was banned from campus.

Additionally, Johnston County Early College Academy, and Johnston County Career and Technical Leadership Academy were briefly placed on lockdown. Both schools are on JCC's campus.

A JCC spokesperson released a statement on the matter.

"The Johnston County Public School System anonymous tip line received information this morning about a potentially armed student on his way to the Johnston Community College campus. Out of an abundance of caution, we locked down the campus. The student did not enter a campus building and was apprehended in the parking lot by authorities. The student was an Early College Academy student and is a minor. The Early College Academy is a JCPS high school on JCC's campus. The student has been banned from JCC. We are thankful for the quick response by our Director of Campus Police & Security, the Smithfield Police Department, and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. The Smithfield Police Department is handling the investigation."