Judge denies release for teen charged with taking police officer’s gun from school

Editors note: This story clarifies charges against the 19-year-old defendant.

A teen who authorities say took the firearm an Arlington Heights police officer left in a school restroom on Monday will remain in jail while his case is pending, a Cook County judge ruled Thursday.

Juan Pablo Sanchez Jaramillo, of Mount Prospect, is charged with the delivery, concealment or transfer of a firearm to a minor and aggravated unlawful possession of a loaded weapon without a FOID card stemming from an investigation into the still-missing gun.

Police said Wednesday Sanchez Jaramillo is 18 years old, but in court Thursday he was described as a 19-year-old.

A 17-year-old juvenile also is charged, authorities said.

Authorities say the school resource officer at Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights removed his firearm while in a school bathroom Monday afternoon.

The firearm was loaded with live rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, said Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney John Scanlon. After receiving an urgent phone call, the officer exited the stall, leaving the firearm behind, he said.

About 25 minutes later, the juvenile entered the restroom, saw the gun and told the defendant about it, Scanlon said. Sanchez Jaramillo then got the weapon, placed it in his backpack and left campus, he said.

The resource officer later realized his firearm was missing, returned to the restroom to retrieve it but found it wasn’t there, Scanlon said.

Prosecutors say Sanchez Jaramillo later exchanged the gun for a bike, a claim his defense attorney disputes.

Police executing a search warrant at the juvenile’s home Tuesday night found a flashlight that had been attached to the officer’s handgun, but not the weapon, officials said.

The resource officer is on administrative leave while the investigation continues, police said.

According to his attorney, Sanchez Jaramillo is scheduled to graduate May 15 from the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 alternative school that operates at Forest View. He has no criminal background, according to the attorney, adding that his client might not be at the same maturity level as others his age.