Seven teens charged after illegally entering West Johnston High and causing lockdown

Johnston County sheriff's deputies filed charges Friday against seven teens who illegally entered West Johnston High School in Benson and got into a brief altercation with a school resource officer. The officer managed to detain four of the teens.

The other three fled the building, but were taken into custody after investigators reviewed surveillance video, confirmed they had entered the building and captured them on the school grounds, Capt, Jeff Caldwell, a spokesman with the Johnston County Sheriff's Office, reported .

The school was placed on lockdown during the brief incident while Johnston sheriff's deputies and state troopers arrived.

Officers who searched the school reported that no weapons were found.

None of the seven teens were students at West Johnston High.

Deputies charged three of the teens, who are between the ages of 16 and 17, with second-degree trespassing. Juvenile petitions were filed against the other four, who are ages 14 and 15. They were released into the custody of their parents, Caldwell reported.

The three charged as adults all live in Raleigh. They are:

• Joel Luna-Bernal, 16, of Millbrook Woods Drive.
• Jay Anthony Contreras, 17, of Lake Woodard Drive.
• Luis Daniel Garay, 16, of Lake Woodard Drive.

After 11 a.m. Friday, the school was locked down following reports that a group of people had rushed into one of the school buildings at 5935 Raleigh Road.

An email sent to news media by the Johnston sheriff's office said, "Johnston County Sheriff's Office is on scene of an incident at West Johnston High School. The school is secure at this time and details will follow shortly."

Officers surrounded the school and searched inside for the teens.

Tracey Peedin Jones, spokeswoman for the county school system, said the illegal entry and events that followed prompted what officials call a "perimeter lockdown."

Deputies and troopers said parents driving to the school after the lockdown was reported caused a traffic jam in the area around the school.

Deputies transported Luna-Bernal, Contreras and Garay to the Johnston County jail, where they remained Friday afternoon under bails of $50,000 each.

This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Seven teens charged after illegally entering West Johnston High and causing lockdown."