In a statement from the Florence County Sheriff's office:
Earlier today Florence County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a West Florence High School student and charged him with bringing a firearm onto school premises. According to deputies and school officials Nicholas Eugene Flowers, age 18, of 1101 Old Ebenezer Road, Florence, SC was found to have a handgun in a parked vehicle at the school. Flowers will be held at the Florence County Detention Center pending a bond hearing.“We are encouraged by the manner in which our school administrators are patrolling our school campuses. Their diligence, along with the work of the School Resource Officers and the Florence County Sheriff's Office is what is necessary to make sure that our schools are safe. It will take all of us, including parents, students and faculty/staff members to continue to make a concerted effort to maintain safety in our schools,” said Dan Strickland, Florence One Interim Superintendent.“As we have consistently stated, FCSO will have a zero tolerance for bringing a weapon to school,” Chief Deputy Glen Kirby stated. “We will continue to work closely with Florence School District One to make our schools safe for all of our children.”