Students at a Florida college described their shock after a classmate was arrested after having 1,500 rounds of ammunition delivered to his dorm room – where authorities also found an AR-15 hidden underneath his bed, according to reports.
Rollins College senior Constantine Demetriades, 21, was arrested on Wednesday on a charge of possession of a firearm on school property.
According to an arrest affidavit, the school’s assistant campus safety director told police that Demetriades purchased ammunition online that was to be delivered to him at the school’s campus in Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando, ClickOrlando reported.
A search of Demetriades’ dorm revealed an unloaded AR-15 rifle underneath his bed inside an “unsecured black carrying case” with one loaded magazine and five empty magazines.
“I’m happy they’ve found it because I’ve seen him around campus, and if they didn’t do anything about it, I’d personally fear for my safety,” a student told ClickOrlando.
Demetriades told police that he had the rifle on school property because he had just returned from Thanksgiving break in New Jersey, where he said the firearm was purchased legally, according to the affidavit. While Florida is an open-carry state, firearms are banned on the college campus, according to The Sun.
The student told authorities he did not have bad intentions and shoots as a hobby. He said that he usually stores the firearm at a friend’s home off school property.
He also admitted to purchasing the ammunition online and “was not under the impression that it was against the law to possess ammunition on campus,” according to an arrest report obtained by Fox 35 Orlando.
During their search, authorities also found a black security vest, ear protection and a pistol storage case, according to the report.
Demetriades also told police that he was aware that weapons were banned from the campus and that his New Jersey concealed carry permit did not apply in Florida.
“It’s crazy, it shocked me,” another student told ClickOrlando.
A third said: “He could just be super interested in firearms but then again, that’s no excuse.”
Rollins College addressed the incident in a statement, saying, “On Wednesday, the College received a report indicating a violation of our weapons policy. After receiving this information, we immediately initiated an investigation.”
“We quickly identified and contacted the student, who cooperated fully with College officials and local law enforcement as we investigated the matter further. The student was arrested and is not permitted to be on campus while the College proceeds with the student conduct process.”
Demetriades was arrested without incident and transferred to the Winter Park Police Department for booking.
