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Middle School Teacher Arrested For Bringing A Gun To School

by Sean Levinson
Shutterstock

A teacher in the town where 20 schoolchildren were killed less than four years ago was arrested yesterday for bringing a gun to school.

According to the Hartford Courant, science teacher Jason Adams was stopped by a security officer around 9 am after a colleague at Connecticut's Newtown Middle School told school officials about the weapon.

The security officer then disarmed and detained Adams, 46, until police arrived. Adams was found to be carrying a concealed firearm, which he reportedly has a permit for.

Police charged him with possession of a weapon on school grounds, a Class D felony.

Staff meetings had delayed the beginning of the school day by two hours, so no students were in the building when Adams was arrested.

Adams was released after processing and placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by school officials.

His court date was scheduled for April 20, CNN reports.

In a statement, the Newtown School District said,

This matter is very serious and troubling, both the Newtown Public School system and the Newtown Police Department took immediate steps to address the matter. The teacher was immediately detained by security personnel. Both agencies have been working closely together to investigate the incident and are taking precautions to ensure the continued safety of our students, staff and community members.

On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 20 children, all ages 6 and 7, along with six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which is part of the Newtown School District.

He also killed his mother and then himself at their home.

All schools in the Newtown system are now guarded by armed school security officers, most of whom are retired police officers.

Adams has yet to reveal why he brought the gun to school.

Citations: Newtown teacher arrested at school accused of having gun (CNN), Newtown Teacher Charged With Bringing Gun To School (Hartford Courant)