Diego Horta, a Rowlett, Texas, teen found with a rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition while sitting in his car outside a high school sporting event Thursday, is being held on $1 million bond.
A Rowlett police officer came across the 17-year-old while on patrol near Rowlett High School and a community center Thursday evening as two sporting events were finishing up, The Associated Press reported. Horta was reportedly sitting inside his car, which was parked in a darkened lot.
As the officer approached Horta, he noticed a semi-automatic rifle in plain view inside the vehicle, according to a statement posted to the Rowlett Police Department's Facebook page.
Further inspection revealed more suspicious items: illegal drugs, a club, a loaded 9 mm rifle, and a Halloween mask.
Horta was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and possession of child pornography after his cell phone was searched and a suspicious image was discovered, Newsweek reported.
“We're glad that our officer encountered him early,” officer Cruz Hernandez, a spokesman for Rowlett Police Department, told The Associated Press. “He had the weapon, ammunition, and a mask . . . Whatever we prevented, the outcome was going to be bad.”
Hernandez noted that Horta is not a student at Rowlett High, but is instead home-schooled.
The teen has been charged as an adult and is scheduled to appear before the magistrate to determine whether an additional bond should set on the weapons charge.