Deputies: Beaufort County student makes wrong choice on the school bus

A 17-year-old student was arrested at Islands Academy on Mink Point Boulevard in Burton on Wednesday morning after allegedly smoking marijuana on a school bus.

The young man was charged with simple possession of marijuana and is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center, where he remained Thursday afternoon with bond set at $615, according to online detention center and court records.

The bus driver said he believed the young man had been smoking while the bus was in motion on its way to the alternative school, also known as Right Choices School, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report. A deputy found a partially smoked marijuana cigarette in the seat where the teen was sitting alone, according to the report.

“How could I be smoking if I don’t have a lighter?” the young man allegedly said, according to the report. He was arrested and a lighter was found when he was searched at the detention center, the report said.

Beaufort County School District spokesman Jim Foster said he could not comment on the incident, citing federal privacy laws. He pointed to a section of the district’s code of conduct for students, indicating a charge of this nature would be punishable by up to 10 days of out of school suspension with a recommendation for expulsion.

This story was originally published May 18, 2017 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Deputies: Beaufort County student makes wrong choice on the school bus."