Armed man arrested outside New Jersey school

Washington, June 15
A US man armed with a handgun and numerous rounds of ammunition, was arrested outside an elementary school in New Jersey, authorities said.

Thomas J. Wilkie, 46, of Bear, Delaware, is charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, fourth-degree possession of hollow-point bullets, and fourth-degree trespassing on school grounds, Xinhua news agency quoted a police statement as saying on Friday.

At 3.55 p.m. on Thursday, patrol officers from Westfield Police Department and detectives responded to a report which said a man later identified as Wilkie was en route to Tamaques Elementary School and might be armed, according to preliminary investigation.

The school was placed on a lockdown as precautionary measure, and to identify any other potential threats.

Police officers located Wilkie in the front seat of his truck parked in the school's parking lot with a 45-caliber handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets.

Two loaded clips of ammunition were recovered, while 130 additional rounds of ammunition were located in his vehicle.

Wilkie was taken into police custody and is scheduled to appear in court next week. If found guilty, he could face a jail term of up to 10 years.