Arrest made after ball field firearms incident

WASHINGTON — Municipal police say they’ve arrested a man accused of carrying firearms onto school grounds, almost a week after two unloaded handguns were found under a tree near the Washington High School baseball field.

In a press release issued Tuesday, officials said they arrested Jedadiah West Reed Holden (21) of Washington Tuesday night, on two counts of carrying weapons on school grounds. State court records related to the arrest were not available, as of Wednesday morning.

The Washington Police Department said it responded to two reports of suspicious activity at Washington High School and Middle School May 23, both involving Holden, but said he’d left the properties by the time officers arrived. Officials said he later trespassed from both locations, but said the incidents led to his identification in school surveillance footage of the ball field May 22, when the firearms were placed.

“Officers reviewed the school video surveillance of May 22 and recognized Holden as the person placing items under a tree where the handguns had been located,” the press release said.

Police said the suspect was being held in the Washington County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond awaiting an initial appearance.

“We commend the swift and thorough action of the Washington Police Department, which arrested Mr. Holden on Tuesday evening,” said a post on the Washington Community School District’s Facebook page, published around the same time as the city’s press release. “This incident highlights the vigilance of our school personnel, the effectiveness of our security measures, and the invaluable partnership we share with the Washington Police Department. We are incredibly grateful for their cooperation and the community's support throughout this investigation.”

Earlier police communications said the pair of handguns was placed under a tree near Washington’s high school baseball field May 22, but that neither firearm contained ammunition when police retrieved them on May 30.

A handful of school events transpired before they were discovered and removed.

May 23 was the last day of classes, according to the school district’s calendar, and broadcast schedules for Southeast Iowa Live showed at least one home baseball game in Washington between May 22 and 30. Other events on high school grounds in the interim included athletic end-of-year banquets, commencement, and a softball game that started two hours before the firearms were reported, based on police records.

It remains unclear why the weapons were abandoned, or left on school grounds. A previous press release said the guns were reported by a citizen who found them, and The Union filed a public records request last week seeking more information on the circumstances surrounding their discovery.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com