A 47-year-old Jennings County man faces two felony charges after he entered the office area at North Vernon Elementary School with a handgun on Thursday morning, police report.
The incident that led to the arrest of Eric E. Smith of North Vernon began after he entered the school at 11:20 a.m. and asked about the school’s policy regarding bringing guns into the school, according to a news release from Sgt. Isaac Barkes with the North Vernon Police Department.
Barkes, the department’s public information officer, said after Smith asked about bringing guns into the school, he showed school staff that he had a handgun on his person.
School staff then escorted Smith outside the school and notified School Resource Officer Matt Staples.
Barkes said Smith did not leave the office area and was not near any student prior to being escorted out of the building.
Staples and Detective Wes Thayer interviewed Smith and his spouse separately at the police department.
Barkes said investigators discovered during the investigation that Smith had made a statement approximately two weeks prior to the incident to his spouse that he was thinking about taking the gun to school and addressing it with staff members.
Smith gave a verbal confirmation of the statement and that he was told by his wife that it was a bad idea, Barkes said.
Staples eventually placed Smith under arrest and trespassed him from all Jennings County school properties. Thayer recovered the firearm at Smith’s residence with the cooperation of his spouse as evidence in the investigation.
Smith faces preliminary Level 6 felony charges of possession of a firearm on school property and intimidation. A Level 6 felony is punishable by six months to two and a half years in prison if convicted.
This incident directly follows threats by AirDrops that occurred one week ago to the day. This incident also follows the newly enacted Constitutional Carry law in Indiana, which allows citizens to carry a handgun without a permit.
Barkes said the ability to carry a gun does not transfer to certain locations, including but not limited to school properties.