Glenbard South student charged with having 30-inch weapon at school

A student at Glenbard South High School in Glen Ellyn is facing a felony charge after authorities say he went to school with a 30-inch weapon embedded with nails and shards of glass.

Prosecutors said Steven W. Allen, 17, of Lombard, denied he had any nefarious plans, and no threats were made.

“He indicated it was a gift for someone else and a piece of art, but it’s nonetheless a dangerous weapon,” DuPage County Prosecutor Kevin Laude said in court Friday.

Allen was arrested Thursday after officials discovered the weapon, which Laude said had a handle at one end and was embedded with four nails and shards of glass at the other. Court records described it as a “bludgeon.”

Glenbard District 87 spokeswoman Peg Mannion declined to comment on the arrest but said school safety is always a “top priority.”

“We want to provide a safe environment for students, staff and visitors,” she said.

Allen, of the 20W400 block of Marlborough Road, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon on school grounds, a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. He has no prior criminal history, prosecutors said.

Allen was released from the county jail Friday after posting a $200 bond. He could not immediately be reached for comment. His next court date is Oct. 15 in front of Judge Kathryn Creswell.