Two men charged with having assault rifle, guns, drugs on grounds of Homestead High School

OZAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) – Two Sturgeon Bay men are facing a number of charges after police say they had guns and drugs on school ground.

19-year-olds Willard Hartman and Benjamin Krohn are each facing one count of possession of narcotic drugs, five counts of possession of a firearm on grounds of a school, and five counts of carrying a concealed weapon. Krohn is also charged with possession of THS and possession of drug paraphernalia. 

According to a criminal complaint, on February 10 around 3:45 p.m. a police officer stopped a car being driven by Hartman after seeing the car leave Homestead High School and make an illegal U-turn.

During the traffic stop, Hartman told the officer he and his passenger, Krohn, were at the high school watching a basketball game and didn’t see the sign. The officer reported that during the stop he noticed a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle and asked about the smell.

The complaint says Krohn admitted he had marijuana and the officer had Krohn step out of the vehicle. The officer searched Krohn and reported finding a baggie containing suspected marijuana and a set of brass knuckles. The officer also searched the vehicle and found an unlocked Taurus handgun on the floorboard of the driver’s seat. When the officer searched the trunk of the car, the officer says he found an AK-47 rifle and magazine both empty, an AM-15 rifle with the chamber empty but a 30 round magazine inserted. The officer also found a Glock firearm on the front passenger floorboard with a loaded magazine but no rounds in the chamber, and a Kel Tec Sub 2000 which was folded with a magazine near a backpack that was on the back passenger floorboard.

The complaint goes on to say that the officer also found a small green pill, later identified as a 15 mg Oxycodone in a baggie inside a red duffel bag behind the driver’s seat along with more marijuana.

When police interviewed Krohn, he told officers that he and Hartman had gone to the high school to see a friend play basketball. While in the parking lot, Krohn said he smoked some marijuana and Hartman did not smoke any. When asked about the guns in the vehicle, the complaint says Krohn told police the firearms belonged to him and he brought them in case he wanted to trade or sell them to someone. Krohn said the backpack was his but said he did not own the red duffel bag the Oxycodone was found in. 

When asked for comment, the Mequon-Thiensville School District released the following statement on the incident:

"We have communicated with our parents and staff members regarding these two unrelated yet troubling situations. Each school day, the Mequon-Thiensville School District is entrusted to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for over 3,000 students and more than 400 staff members and volunteers in its buildings. We take this responsibility very seriously. Our families and our community expect schools to keep their children safe from threats (human-caused emergencies such as crime and violence) and hazards (natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and accidents). As an organization, we have invested a great deal in resources to support crisis prevention, protection, and preparedness. These recent incidents have given us the opportunity to communicate with our parents, students, and staff members about the measures we take related to school safety, security, and emergency preparedness. Our high school principal did address students and staff members. We also made note in our communication with parents that our student support team members are available and prepared for any students or staff that need help processing these unrelated yet troubling situations.

Because safety and security are priorities every day, we have not proceeded differently today regarding additional security measures."