Henry Rex Weaver, a 74-year-old substitute teacher, found himself in trouble with the law after his time in front of a first-grade classroom went terribly wrong. Weaver was reportedly carrying a gun in his pocket when it managed to slip or become insecure and discharged inside of the room, according to AL.com.
As a result, one student suffered minor injuries after being struck by a fragment.
The good news is that no students were seriously injured.
Weaver was later arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, third-degree aggravated assault and possession of a firearm on school grounds.
“It (the sound) alerted administrators,’’ Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon told reporters. “He was detained until we could get him in our jail. Obviously I’m concerned about a substitute teacher to bring a gun to school, and what we can do to prevent that in the future.”
The Sheriffs Office’s full statement can be seen below, via Facebook.
On 3/22/2019 between the hours of 12:30p.m and 1:00p.m. the Blount County Sheriffs Office received word that a firearm had been accidentally discharged inside a classroom at Blountsville Elementary School. Deputies responded to Blountsville Elementary School and spoke to school administration. After further investigation, deputies learned that a Henry Rex Weaver, 74 of Blountsville, a substitute teacher with the Blount County Board of Education had unlawfully carried a small caliber firearm concealed on his person into the classroom. Deputies learned that the firearm discharged while inside his pocket. Deputies also learned that there was one juvenile who had received very minor injuries but was treated on the scene and released. Deputies then took Henry Rex Weaver into custody and transported him to the Blount County Jail. Weaver is charged with Possession of a Deadly Weapon on School Grounds, Aggravated Assault 3rd degree, and Reckless Endangerment. We are so very thankful no one was seriously injured and for the swift response of school administration.
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com and we will respond as soon as possible.
