A delivery at a Florida college campus spiraled into a police investigation and an arrest this week after a massive shipment of ammunition led authorities to a rifle hidden inside a student’s dorm room.
Constantine Demetriades, a 21-year-old senior at Rollins College, was taken into custody on Wednesday. He faces a charge of possession of a firearm on school property.
The investigation began when the Assistant Director of Campus Safety flagged a suspicious delivery: an online order for 1,500 rounds of ammunition addressed to Demetriades at the Winter Park campus. Following the discovery, authorities searched his dorm room.
Police found an AR-15 rifle stashed under his bed in an unsecured black carrying case. While the rifle itself was unloaded, investigators discovered one loaded magazine and five empty magazines alongside it. The search also turned up a black security vest, ear protection, and a storage case for a pistol.
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“No Bad Intentions”
According to the arrest affidavit, Demetriades was cooperative with law enforcement. He reportedly told police he had no “bad intentions” and described shooting as a sport and hobby.
He explained to officers that he had recently returned from Thanksgiving break in New Jersey, where he claimed the firearm was purchased legally. While he usually stores the weapon at a friend’s house off-campus, he had the rifle in his dorm following the trip.
Demetriades admitted he was aware that firearms are strictly prohibited on college grounds. However, regarding the shipment that tipped off police, he claimed he “was not under the impression that it was against the law to possess ammunition on campus.”
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He also acknowledged that he knew his concealed carry permit from New Jersey was not valid in Florida.
Campus Response
Rollins College moved quickly to address the safety breach.
“On Wednesday, the College received a report indicating a violation of our weapons policy. After receiving this information, we immediately initiated an investigation,” the school said in a released statement.
Officials confirmed that Demetriades has been barred from campus grounds while the school moves forward with its internal conduct process.
“We quickly identified and contacted the student, who cooperated fully with College officials and local law enforcement as we investigated the matter further,” the statement read.
Demetriades was booked into the Winter Park Police Department without incident.
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