COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. — A man was arrested Tuesday morning for trespassing at Collierville High School, and officers found weapons, marijuana and more in his possession.
Matthew French, 22, reportedly arrived on a bicycle at Collierville High School around 10 a.m. Police said he told officers he was “there to meet some friends and give them alcohol.”
According to a release from the school system, he initially tried to go to the school’s main office and asked to speak with a teacher, but he was denied entry into the school.
Shortly after that, a student told a teacher that a stranger approached him outside the school, asking him the easiest point of entry into the school;, a release from the school said.
School officers tried to find the man, but he had apparently left campus already.
The school’s release said the man came back to the campus around 11 a.m. and began knocking on a door, which was opened by a student.
French was taken into custody by a school resource officer shortly after being let into the building.
After searching the man’s backpack, officers found a small, unloaded pistol, seven loose bullets, a pocket knife, several vaping pens, a flask of alcohol and a small quantity of marijuana, according to the release.
He is charged with trespassing, possession of a weapon on school property, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
After Tuesday morning’s incident, the school said it reminded students never to open doors for anyone outside the building.
“Collierville Schools wishes to express appreciation to both our dedicated school resource officers and the student who felt comfortable sharing his concerns about the stranger with a school employee,” a release from the school system said.
