Student says he brought gun on campus to protect himself

At a hearing Friday in Carson Juvenile Court, Jason Hood, 16, admitted to charges of possessing a weapon on school property and unlawful possession of a firearm.

He faces punishment ranging from probation to detention at Elko's youth training camp when he's sentenced March 8.

Hood, who remains on house arrest in the custody of his parents, also faces expulsion from school for at least a year for the Feb. 1 incident.

School security officers found a 12-gauge shotgun with ammunition, a metal pipe, pellet gun, three baseball bats and brass knuckles after anonymous tips led to a search of Hood's car.

In exchange for his admission to the charges, prosecutors agreed not to file an assault with a deadly weapon charge against him for allegedly hitting a student with a bat four days before the weapons were found.

"Jason and his parents always wanted him to admit his responsibility for this, and he always intended to admit these charges," said Bill Maddox, his lawyer.

"This is a good kid who made a bad decision. This is an atypical situation."

Hood told Judge David Nielsen that he brought the weapons to school to protect himself.

"Some people were threatening me," he said. "I did call some of the people up and try to resolve (the arguments) with them. But there was one more, sir, I didn't resolve it with."

Two friends helped him put weapons in the car, he added.

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