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A mother is possibly facing charges after she was accused of taking three loaded pistols in her purse to a meeting at Round Hill Elementary School.
Round Hill Elementary School administrators sent letters home to parents Tuesday, letting them know that the mother did indeed bring three loaded handguns to the school and that everyone on site was safe.
The 45-year-old woman walked into the school Tuesday morning telling the Assistant Principal, Kirsten O'Hara, that her children were in danger. "It really boiled down to her safety and was somebody going to come after her family," O'Hara said.
Unsure of her mental state, the school discretely call police. When the deputies arrived the mother came clean, handing over her purse. "When they reached for it, went to get the bag, she said, 'well, be careful, there are loaded guns in there'," Sheriff Steve Simpson said.
There were three handguns and extra ammunition in the purse. There were no signs that the guns had been touched by anyone but as parents learned later, the guns were in reach of the agitated mother in the main office of their's children's school.
"Obviously, I was concerned," said one parent.
Many parents agreed the school did all it could, following it's safety procedures and handling it quietly before it could escalate.
"It happened so quickly once the guns were discovered, that she was escorted out," said Principal Nancy McManus, "That there was no need to go into lock down."
McManus said it was a sad and scary situation but hoped that it would help in the long run. "It was a cry for help and hopefully we got her the help she needs."
Police said they looked into claims that the woman's children were in danger and found the claims unsubstantiated. The mother was committed to a hospital psychiatric unit and police have not decided on whether to file charges.
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