In a follow-up to a story on a handgun found in a student’s backpack in mid-September, Indiana State Police say a Creekside woman was wanted in connection with the incident on September 17th, where an 11-year-old student at St. Bernard School unknowingly brought a .38 Special to school with him in his backpack.
Investigators say the handgun was stolen from the child’s guardian, hidden in the child’s back pack and the child alerted school officials after he discovered it. That prompted a search for 23-year-old Riley Jayne Merlo. Troopers say Merlo was taken into custody without incident Friday afternoon.
Investigators found that Merlo, a member of the student’s family, took the gun from the student’s guardian’s car on September 14th, then hid it in the student’s backpack two days later.
Merloe was arraigned at district judge Susanne Steffee’s court and was remanded to Indiana County Jail with bail set at $5,000. A preliminary hearing is set for November 5th.
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