QUEEN CREEK — Charges are being submitted to the Pinal County Attorney's Office for consideration after a 4th grader brought a gun on campus at Legacy Traditional School in Queen Creek.
On Wednesday, the Queen Creek Police Department said it was submitting charges regarding the August 25 incident. Officials say the student in question is nine years old.
The student who brought the gun could face two charges: minor prohibited from carrying or possessing a firearm and misconduct involving weapons, related to possessing a deadly weapon on school grounds. One of the charges is a class six felony.
The student's parents could face one count of contributing to delinquency and dependency each. Officials say the charge for the parents is due to the fact that the "parents' failure to secure the weapon contributed to their child obtaining the weapon."
Queen Creek Police Department's chief included a statement with the list of charges:
The safety of our community, schools, and children are top priority for the Queen Creek Police Department. As we investigate these incidents, we base all charging decisions on facts and evidence. Bringing a firearm onto a school campus, loaded or unloaded, is against the law. The law also prohibits minors from possessing firearms, unless specific exceptions (as outlined in ARS 13-3111) are indicated.
QCPD commends the student who saw something suspicious at school the day before the incident and informed an adult. We encourage all caregivers to teach their children to say something if they see something. QCPD also urges all caregivers with firearms in their homes to secure them in a way that no child in the house will be able to obtain access to the firearm.
QCPD would also like to stress that detectives found no evidence of the student having any plans, collaboration with others, or specific motives or intent to harm anyone with the firearm. During an interview with a detective, the child stated he carried the firearm for self-protection “from a potential abduction” as he traveled to and from school by himself.
The principal of the school, Megan Alvarado, was temporarily placed on administrative leave but returned on Tuesday.
QUPD sent an additional statement in reference to how cases involving children are processed through the justice system:
The criminal justice system within Arizona performs many diverse functions including police protection, judicial services, prosecution, public defense, and corrections. Juveniles in Arizona violating the law are processed through the criminal justice system; however, the procedures dealing with youthful offenders are different from those dealing with adults.
Juvenile divisions, more than court divisions with criminal jurisdiction, have a rehabilitative orientation. In addition to protecting the community, the Juvenile Court System has the mission of nurturing positive change in the child.
In this situation, the child will be referred to the Pinal County Juvenile Justice Court System for the charges that were previously identified.
