Wednesday, February 5, 2003
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Wednesday, February 5, 2003 |
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Pistol found in MHS shop class; no charges filed By JOHN MUNFORD
Officials declined to press weapons charges against a McIntosh High School student who discovered a handgun in his vehicle while working on it during auto shop class. Further investigation revealed that the gun belonged to the previous owner of the vehicle, said Peachtree City Police Chief James Murray. "There was no intent or anything" to violate the state law forbidding such weapons on school property, Murray said. "He had no idea it was there." Gardner Jett, 18, was working on the door handles of his vehicle when he found the gun in a compartment behind the driver's side rear seat of the 1997 Ford Explorer, according to police reports. Jett reported the gun immediately to his teacher, Keith Cumbie, who told him to leave the gun there and immediately had the vehicle locked to secure the weapon, the report said. School resource officer Alan Reeves noted in the report that the gun "appeared to be extremely old due to its rusted condition" and that a rust imprint on the floor of the vehicle indicated the gun "had not been previously moved or discovered." Jett had purchased the vehicle from an auto auction, according to the report. Murray noted that school officials, not police officers, have the final say on whether or not to press charges in cases involving weapons on campus.
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