MOORHEAD, MINN. – Moorhead Police are providing more information about the arrest of a student Thursday at Horizon Middle School.
According to Moorhead Area Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brandon Lunak, school staff responded to a report of a controlled substance at the middle school.
“Our team acted quickly, followed established safety protocols, and immediately involved the Moorhead Police Department,” he said. “Through the course of the investigation, law enforcement recovered a significant amount of the controlled substance.”
Moorhead Police Chief Chris Helmick said the department’s narcotics unit began an investigation immediately into the situation after School Resource Officer Jessica Horn located and detained the student and secured the pills that were reported.
“During the course of that investigation, they were able to determine through field testing that the pills were suspected of containing fentanyl,” Helmick said.
An estimated 1,500 pills were in the possession of the student, a 13-year-old male.
“We will continue our investigation to determine where these drugs came from and how they came to be in the possession of a 13-year-old child,” Helmick said. “We will also hold those accountable who are found to be connected.”
The student was arrested for first degree possession of a controlled substance and was transported to the West Central Juvenile Detention Center.
The pills had a street value of $25 per pill – meaning the value of those possessed by the student exceeded $35,000.
