Deputies respond to fight involving juveniles in Liberty Township
Deputies responded to the area of Willow Brooke Drive and Willow View Court after reports of about 10 juveniles fighting in the street.
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) – Authorities arrested a 13-year-old boy accused of firing a gun in a Liberty Township neighborhood over the weekend, according to Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.
No one was injured in the incident, Sheriff Jones told FOX19 NOW.
The teen faces a felony charge of improper discharge of a firearm in or near a habitation or school zone, according to juvenile court records.
He also faces a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.
“These are the times we live in. It’s extremely sad when kids have firearms, and people die because they have these firearms. We are very fortunate here,” the sheriff said Monday.
“The investigation is ongoing. There may be others arrested.”
The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the area of Willow Brooke Drive and Willow View Court in the Wynds of Liberty neighborhood near Princeton Road, a sheriff’s spokeswoman confirmed.
Deputies responded to reports of about 10 juveniles fighting in the street.
Court records show the fight occurred in the 6400 block of Willow Brooke Drive.
The teen is accused of pulling out a handgun and firing a shot “towards the fight,” according to the complaint.
“The location was a residential neighborhood with houses on both sides of the street,” the complaint states.
All of the juveniles ran from the scene after the shot was fired, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies, along with the Hamilton Police Department’s K-9 unit, searched the area, officials said.
Authorities gathered witness statements from nearby residents and began checking homes for surveillance footage.
Some of the juveniles were located and taken to the sheriff’s Liberty Township substation off Ohio 747. Deputies collected statements, and parents were called to the scene.
Investigators later identified the suspect and arrested him at his home in Liberty Township, Sheriff Jones said.
The teen was held overnight at the Butler County Juvenile Detention Center and appeared in court Monday morning, according to records.
No plea was entered, and an attorney will be appointed if necessary.
Butler County Juvenile Court Magistrate Patricia A. Wilkerson ordered the teen to remain in detention and continue his schooling there through the Butler County Educational Services Center.
According to the court order, the Lakota School District will be responsible for tuition, as it is the district where the teen’s parent resides.
The teen was also placed under court monitoring and ordered to obey all laws and avoid any new charges during this period.
He is prohibited from contacting any alleged co-defendants or victims, court records show.
Although the boy’s mother attended the hearing, court records state that placing him back in her home would be “contrary to the welfare of this child.”
The teen is scheduled to return to juvenile court for a pretrial hearing at 11 a.m. Monday, April 6, before Judge Daniel Phillips.
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