Rollins Student Arrested for Rifle in Dorm

A 21-year-old senior at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, was arrested on December 3 after a shipment of 1,500 rounds of 9mm ammunition arrived at his dormitory, prompting an investigation that uncovered an AR-15 rifle hidden under his bed.

Constantine Demetriades, who shares a dorm unit with three other students but has his own room, faced charges of possession of a firearm on school property, a third-degree felony. According to authorities, campus safety officials flagged the large online ammunition order upon delivery and notified Winter Park police. A search of Demetriades' room revealed the unloaded semiautomatic rifle in an unsecured black carrying case, along with six magazines—one loaded and five empty—a tactical vest, multiple knives, a black security vest, ear protection, and a pistol storage case.

Demetriades told investigators he was aware of the college's strict weapons policy, which prohibits any substance or device identified as a weapon in residence halls, but believed possessing ammunition alone was not illegal. He explained that he had traveled to New Jersey for Thanksgiving with the rifle, which he purchased and registered there, and returned to campus...