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An unidentified third-grader in Middletown, Ohio, has been arrested after he brought a loaded gun to his Ohio elementary school on Monday, October 16. The boy said he brought the gun to school because he had been bullied by other students.
According to Middletown police, the gun was found after a teacher saw a “bulge” in the nine-year-old’s pocket inside the classroom at Rosa Parks Elementary School. When the teacher reached for the gun around 10:40 AM, the boy grabbed at their arm to stop them. The child reportedly told police he brought the 9mm pistol to the school because of bullying.
The child The boy was taken to Butler County Juvenile Justice Center by police and was charged with felonious assault, illegal conveyance of a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon.
WLWT reports that the unidentified boy appeared in juvenile court on Tuesday, October 17, and was ordered to remain in the juvenile detention center. He will undergo a competency and psychological evaluation and risk assessment.
via WLWT:
Middletown police said an observant teacher may have prevented a tragedy. They said she confronted the third-grader after seeing something large in his pocket.
“What I can tell you out of the respect for the student’s privacy, the situation was addressed very appropriately by those who were involved in the situation. Students were safe at all times once the weapon was confiscated, and right now it’s in the hands of our law enforcement,” said Marlon Styles, Middletown superintendent. “We’re proud to say that we do consider safety our No. 1 priority here in Middletown City School District.”
Parents and grandparents want to know what can be done to prevent students from feeling violence is the only answer.
“Maybe more counselors put in the school, because we live in sometimes where a lot of stuff goes on, children are not free to just be children anymore,” Davis said.
Furthermore, the boy’s mother’s boyfriend faces a child endangering charge, because police say he left the gun in a place inside their home where the child had access to it. The boyfriend, Jerron Dean, 29, had his arraignment continued to November 1, according to court records.
