ASHE COUNTY, N.C. — Parents are facing felony charges after investigators found a gun in their third-grader’s backpack, Ashe County deputies said.
[ Man charged after gun, knife found in kindergartner’s backpack ]
The student did not know the gun was in his bookbag until the school resource officer found it on Wednesday at Westwood Elementary School.
The student is not facing charges, but his parents, Michael and Stephanie Zandiotis, were arrested and charged with felony weapon on an educational property.
They were released from jail after each posting a $5,000 unsecured bond.
Channel 9’s Dave Faherty spoke with the child’s mother on Friday.
She said the 9mm pistol wasn’t loaded.
She said her son and his father accidentally switched backpacks.
Then she said he switched them again before school, accidentally taking the gun to class. She said when she realized what had happened, she went to Westwood Elementary and got the firearm. She took it out of the backpack and left, but did not tell the authorities.
She said deputies became involved after the third-grader told someone else at school.
Outside Westwood Elementary on Friday, there were two Ashe County sheriff deputy SUVs. Parents were in disbelief that a handgun ended up in school on Wednesday.
“They should obviously know gun safety and their kids should know gun safety,” said parent Cynthia Absher. “They should not even touch a gun during elementary school.”
Several parents said they don’t understand why the metal detector didn’t alert anyone to the weapon.
“This should never have happened,” parent Brian Dishman said. “They shouldn’t have been able to pass through the building with it.”
“I don’t know if they weren’t working that day or if they weren’t on,” Absher said. “Why they didn’t find it early in the morning? I know the next day they had to wear their backpacks in front of their bodies.”
The school has a full-time resource officers but deputies say the metal detector is overseen by the school district.
Faherty reached out to the district about this but was told they’re not taking any questions right now.
“It does not matter how a firearm makes its way into our schools, whether it was brought from home, obtained from another individual, or accessed in any other way; our responsibility is to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Any violation of the law will be addressed, and appropriate charges will be pursued based on the circumstances of each case. Our schools remain a safe place for learning, and we will continue to take necessary steps to protect them,” said Sheriff B. Phil Howell in a news release.
VIDEO: Man charged after gun, knife found in kindergartner’s backpack
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