Posted on 10/01/2006 2:17:32 PM PDT by Mini-14
LACEY - A 33-year-old teacher at Nisqually Middle School is on administrative leave after school officials discovered she brought a .38 Special handgun - along with bullets - on school grounds Thursday, according to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.
Teacher Mary Catherine Roe, who lives in Shelton, told deputies she was fearful of her husband and that he used a gun while assaulting her, according to a sheriff's report. Roe also has a domestic violence protection order against her husband, according to Mason County records.
No decision was made Monday about whether Roe will face criminal charges, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dave Ryan said.
Roe is under investigation for the charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm, which was in her purse, on school grounds. The law says no one except law enforcement officers can bring a firearm onto school grounds. The charge is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Nisqually parents received a letter from the school Friday explaining that a staff member brought a weapon to school and was placed on leave. The letter reminded parents that it is against state law to bring any firearm to a school campus. The letter did not name the staff member.
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Brian Wharton for North Thurston Public Schools declined to confirm or deny who was on leave. No charges have been filed and no district disciplinary action has been taken, he said. Students did not see the weapon, Wharton said.
Roe is a language arts teacher, according to the school's Web site.
Wharton said the district is cooperating with the sheriff's office. District officials will consider the results of the criminal investigation before they decide on any disciplinary action.
He said the district policies don't specifically address what to do if staff members bring weapons to school, though it references the state law forbidding firearms on campuses.
"We expect our staff members to follow the law," he said.
School officials learned about the gun after a co-worker asked Roe how she is protecting herself against her husband, the police report states, and she told him that she had a gun in her purse, according to the sheriff's department.
The co-worker told Nisqually Principal Karen Owen, the report states, and school officials called deputies.
Roe told deputies "that she was aware that she should not bring the gun to school. She thought that if she was discovered that she would simply be asked to put it in her vehicle. Ms. Roe said that she has a concealed weapons permit and is proficient at shooting because of her military training."
Roe was visibly upset and crying when police came to the school Thursday to investigate, the report states.
Roe told deputies that her father had purchased the handgun for her after her husband had assaulted her Aug. 5, "and she has carried it with her ever since," the report states. Roe's husband, Shawn Roe, is awaiting trial on pending charges of unlawful imprisonment and malicious mischief, according to Mason County records.
Her claim that she has a concealed weapons permit could not be confirmed. An official at the state Department of Licensing said Monday that the names of individuals who carry concealed weapons permits is confidential and is not open to the public under state law.
The Thurston County Sheriff's report does not state whether Roe's handgun was loaded, but states that the gun, along with five bullets, were confiscated.
Roe has filed a divorce petition, which is pending, against her husband, according to court records.
The district has the discretion whether to report the incident to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, which is in charge of teacher licensing, state superintendent spokeswoman Kim Schmanke said. It is not one of the offenses that set off an automatic investigation by the state, she said.
Roe could not be reached for comment Monday at a phone number for her residence in Shelton.
After a concerned parent at Monday's school board meeting questioned the lack of a weapons policy for employees, school board President Judy Wilson responded that she would be interested in exploring a policy for employees who bring weapons to campus.
"I personally believe that we need to have one. We have one about drugs and alcohol," she told the parent and the school board.
If I was an anti-gun nut DA, I would probably NOT charge the teacher, because the constitutionality of the law might might get challenged, and the whole ban on carrying in public schools just might get thrown out as violating the state constitution.
Olympia is a bastion of left wing lunacy, so my .02 is that the DA tries to find a way to make the case disappear, because this one exposes the idiocy of the left.
As a female who has been in that position, I can tell you...I'd break these unconstitutional laws any day of the week to keep myself safe rather than allowing myself to be at risk of severe injury or death - especially since the police have ABSOLUTELY NO OBLIGATION to protect me.
Yup, ya got a gun in one hand and a phone in the other and a perp in front of you. Which are you gonna use first?
What I know about it I learned from a guy who had obtained such an order from a judge. He had been threatened for testifying in a criminal trial, and the judge suggested that he carry a concealed weapon. Unfortunately, he worked at a business inside a local gun control area. So the judge gave him a piece of paper ordering him to be armed.
Since he also had to visit a restricted but low security federal area frequently, the judge referred him to a federal judge or magistrate who would extend the order for him.
The #1 group of people who need a firearm for personal protection are women with abusive boyfriends and husbands. And since the police can't protect them at all, and protection services are expensive, a concealed carry license and a carry order like this are the way to go.
Women should ask for a carry order, too, because the police are motivated to confiscate any weapon they find at a scene, for obvious reasons. However, being disarmed in front of a person who wants to harm you is not good, as it might be a while before you get your weapon back. That is why a judge's order that you be armed can be a very good thing.
Oh really? When I looked at the law regarding places "off limits" in Washington, it looked pretty muddled with exceptions and contradictions. Here's a recitation of the law and a discussion: http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum55/384.html
Do you still stick to your assertion that the law is "cut and dried, black and white"?
Same here. Friday, we stopped by the Credit Union, and as we approached the door, my wife said, "Oops! 30.06* sign!" So, we headed back to our vehicle to secure our "equipment"...
OTOH, had I been under a known or probable threat of violence against either of us....
~~~~
*"30.06" sign: Must be promininently placed -- and in letters at least 1" high...
~~~
IMHO, that teacher should have just responded (in a sweet, little voice): "Why, we're in a 'gun-free zone' here. Isn't that all the protection I'll need?"
IOW, you can put me in the "Better judged by twelve than carried by six" camp...
Then the Indiana state constitution must have been written by nutbars:
Article I, Bill of Rights, Section 19. In all criminal cases whatever, the jury shall have the right to determine the law and the facts.
Do a Google search for "constitution determine the law"
If teachers were all required to take the NRA Gun Safety Course (at least) and then encouraged to get permits and carry at school, school shootings would become a quaint footnote to history.
John Jay
(1745-1829) first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, First President of the United States - preceding George Washington, one of three men most responsible for the US Constitution Source:
Georgia v. Brailsford, 1794
Luckily, only a few nutbars actually believe in jury nullification.
Yep. Like that nutbar John Jay?
Maybe she is too stupid to be carrying around a firearm.
Unfortunately, you are wrong. A lot of twists and turns in following laws regarding educational instituions. First was "Gun Free Schools" law #1 passed by Congress. This was thrown out by the courts as being unconstitutional. Then, Congress passed "Gun Free Schools" law #2 which allowed the states to exempt certain classes of individuals from the law. So, if a state licenses an individual to carry a pistol, and does not explicitly declare schools to be off limits, then it is legal for that person to carry. However, most states with concealed licensing laws explicitly forbid individuals from carrying in schools. The only exceptions I know about are Oregon and Utah.
This is not strictly true in Washington. The law says that adults carrying a CPL may carry a concealed pistol when dropping off or picking up their child from school.
Funny. Typical reporting
Yes the gun toting teacher was stupid. The coworker did the right thing for his own interest. If she had fired her gun on school premises and then told the police that she had told the coworker, the coworker would have been an accessory for criminal charges and open to civil liability. Why should he carry her baggage?
By the way, I live in Mason County and I hope I get called to jury duty for this one if it ends up being prosecuted. I usually get summoned once a year and I'm due again. I would be happy to "nullify" this one.
The co-worker has probably worked with the woman for quite some time. Do you believe that he thought she was going to go postal all of a sudden, even after informing him she had a gun?
If she had fired her gun on school premises and then told the police that she had told the coworker, the coworker would have been an accessory for criminal charges and open to civil liability.
The ex-husband likely would not have went after her on school grounds anyway, where there's other people milling around. He'd do it when she gets home.
Attention, Shawn Roe! Your ex-wife was willing to use a gun against you, but now she's completely unarmed. Just thought you'd like to know.
Love,
The Media.
Totally backwards. This liberal stupid hysteria about guns has got to stop.
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