Boy, 9, Accused of Bringing Gun to Middletown School
Posted by jhingarat21 on 9th Oct 2015
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — A 9-year-old boy walked into a Butler County courtroom Monday while his classmates at Amanda Elementary School were going out for recess.
The child, accused of bringing a gun to the school Sept. 10, faces multiple charges: conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon onto school grounds, theft of a firearm and inducing panic.
While some parents heard rumors that the boy ran down a hallway with the weapon, Superintendent Sam Ison said the gun was, in fact, found in the boy’s back pack inside his locker. The school went on lockdown during that time.
He also is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle: Over the summer, the boy was accused of taking out the family car on three separate occasions.
Liza Kotlarsic, the court-appointed guardian ad litem tasked with fighting for the boy’s best interests, said he shouldn’t stay in Butler County’s juvenile detention facility.
“Juvenile detention is not the correct facility for him to be held during the pendency of this matter,” she said. “I’m asking the court to make an immediate referral to children’s services.”
According to Middletown City Schools, parents got an automated call after school dismissed Thursday.
It said:
This is Beth Hendricks, principal of Amanda Elementary School:
I wanted to let you know because of our diligent staff, we discovered a student had brought a weapon to school. Once discovered, we quickly secured the building and our SRO officer removed the student. Everyone is safe and our staff is to be commended on handling the very delicate situation. We look forward to having everyone back to school for a regular day tomorrow.
The boy is expected to be back in court later this month.