Liberty University (LU) has granted a scholarship to David Cole Withrow, a North Carolina high school student, after he was expelled and arrested, April 29, for accidentally leaving his shotgun in his locked pickup truck in the school parking lot.

He now faces felony charges for possessing a weapon within school premises. A court appearance has been scheduled for Withrow, May 16.

Withrow, 18, was just a few weeks away from graduating with honors from Princeton High School.

His arrest fuelled protests by his well-wishers, friends and community members, urging the school to declare his expulsion null. They wore t-shirts with 'Free Cole' written on them and displayed placards around the vehicles too.

Withrow claims that he had gone for skeet shooting a day before and forgot to remove the gun from the truck before driving to school. He noticed the gun when he reached to grab his book bag.

As soon as he realised his mistake, he made a call to his mother to ensure that the weapon was safely removed from campus but he was overheard by an administrator who called the police.

"You teach your kids if you're in trouble or if you see you've done something wrong, go ahead and admit it," family friend Kimberly Boykin said. "Be a man and it'll be fixed. In this case, that's what he did and he's being punished for it. That's not the lesson we need to teach our kids."

Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University chancellor, during one of his visits to North Carolina, heard about Withrow on the news channels.

In the news report, both Withrow and his sister were seen wearing 'Liberty Football' t-shirts. Falwell contacted his officials and discovered that his sister was a university graduate. Falwell called Withrow and offered him a scholarship.

Falwell issued a statement saying

"When I reached out to encourage this responsible and impressive young man, I learned that he wanted to go to Liberty University, but couldn't afford it. I told him that we would do whatever he needed so that he can attend Liberty. Anti-gun zealots tried to vilify him for doing the right thing, so Liberty has decided to award him the help he needs to attend a private Christian college. I was really impressed with Cole. He is a humble and meek Christian kid who only wants to do the right thing! We want students like Cole Withrow."

Apart from offering a scholarship to attend Liberty, the university has also offered Withrow their online GED program to finish his high school education.

He has also received a similar scholarship offer from Harding University too.

County Superintendent Ed Croom examined the case and agreed to skip the recommended yearlong suspension under state law and allow Withrow to finish his schooling at an alternate school, beginning May 13.

Now, Withrow can either complete his high school through Princeton's alternative school or enrol in Liberty's online program.