A staff member at an Elkhart elementary school was jailed Monday for allegedly bringing a gun into the school.
Elkhart police say a Mary Beck Elementary staff member told school officials that a coworker had a gun in the school, a violation of state law. Jamie Snyder, Elkhart Community Schools’ director of safety, security and risk management, found the gun, removed the staff member from a classroom, and called police.
At about 9:30 a.m., the department’s school resource officer arrested the staff member.
Following its usual policy on arrests, Elkhart police spokeswoman Jessica McBrier said police won’t release the person’s name until prosecutors decide whether or how to file formal charges. McBrier said the person was jailed Monday awaiting an initial hearing Tuesday morning.
Elkhart Community Schools sent parents a phone message Monday morning announcing the arrest.
McBrier declined to say what the employee did at the school, where in the school the officer found the gun, or whether it was loaded. She deferred WVPE to the school system, whose spokeswoman Erin Wagler declined to be interviewed, citing an ongoing police investigation.
In full disclosure, Elkhart Community Schools is the license holder for WVPE.
The gun was found inside the school. Indiana law allows guns to be kept in a vehicle parked on school property as long as they're in a locked truck or glove compartment, or they're not visible from outside the vehicle.