Wells police investigated reports of a man dressed in camouflage carrying a rifle near Wells High School on Monday afternoon, but said there was no need for concern.

Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam said the police department got two reports about the man, who was last seen going into the woods behind York Hospital’s Emergency Care Unit, a facility that borders Wells High School, around 2 p.m.

Authorities immediately notified school officials while officers searched the woods in the vicinity of Wells High School, Wells Junior High School and Wells Elementary School, but found no one matching that description.

Police later determined that a high school student whose school day had ended early walked into the Ocean View Cemetery and found a white wooden parade rifle that is used by the high school’s honor guard during parades and other functions. The student told police that he wrapped the rifle in a black sweatshirt and started walking toward the high school on a shortcut behind the emergency care center. The teenager said he intended to return the wooden rifle to the school.

No charges will be filed.

“In hindsight, the youth should have handled the situation differently so what started out as an attempt to do good wouldn’t have been mistaken and caused panic,” Putnam said in a press release.

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