Student Arrested On Suspicion Of Possessing Gun, Drugs At Okay Public Schools

Wagoner County deputies arrested a 19-year-old student who they say brought a gun to Okay High School on Thursday.

Deputies say he first told them he didn't know it was in his backpack, then said, after he discovered it was there, he didn't tell anyone. 

A parent tells News On 6 he doesn't feel safe sending his daughter to school.

At Okay Public Schools, kindergarten through high school students share a campus, and Russell Cook says after hearing a gun was in the same place as his 5-year-old daughter, he doesn't feel safe sending her to school.

Russell Cook says he has lived in Okay, Oklahoma his whole life, graduated from Okay High School, and now his five-year-old daughter Grace goes to kindergarten there.

“I've been thinking to myself about not letting her go to school and just home schooling her the way things are going,” he said.

Cook says he didn't know about the gun until his babysitter told him what happened, and he wishes he would have pulled his daughter from class. Even though he didn't, Cook says he taught his daughter what to do during an active shooting.

“She is to hide until things clear and if possible, to come straight home. We live right here close so just to get out of the area as quick as possible,” said Cook. 

Deputies say the gun 19-year-old Steven Arney had was unloaded and as soon as the school discovered it, they quickly called the sheriff's office. Deputies say they also found marijuana and a pipe in Arney's backpack.

Elliot says a student reported Arney, and he encourages students to always take action if they think anything looks suspicious.

“You're our eyes and ears, you're the one that's going to prevent this, I don't want the children to hesitate, if they even think something's not right go to a school administrator and say this is what I heard. Let that investigation start because that's how we prevent things happening,” he said.

Arney was booked into jail for having drugs and a weapon on school property as well as having a gun after a previous juvenile conviction. 

The Okay School District Administrative team issued the following statement about the incident.

“Today we had a student come to school with an unloaded pistol. It came to administrators attention and we acted precisely and promptly to deal with this issue. The Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office was called and quickly responded. Appropriate disciplinary action has been taken and Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office is taking the case from here. There is not an existing threat. The Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office has assured us that we have done all that we need to do.”