ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The part-time officer who left his loaded gun inside a bathroom at Kenowa Hills High School will not face criminal charges.
Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker announced the decision Wednesday, May 8.
Becker reviewed video from security cameras and provided new details on what happened that day.
According to Becker, the officer, who serves part-time with the Kent County Sheriff's Marine Unit, entered the bathroom around 3:01 p.m. with the gun in his holster.
9 minutes later the camera captured him leaving the restroom with no gun in the holster.
It wasn't until nearly an hour later, around 3:58 p.m., that a student walked into the bathroom. A minute later he left and spoke with another student in the hall before both went back inside. The pair left the bathroom at 4:00 p.m. and head to the main office.
Becker says the two students reported the gun was sitting on the toilet paper dispenser in the handicap stall. Both were adamant they never touched the weapon.
Deputies who responded to the school found the gun exactly where they described.
Because the boys said they never picked up the weapon, and video evidence shows they did not remove it from the restroom, Becker says the officer who left the gun cannot be charged under Michigan's safe storage law. According to Becker it is not enough for a gun to be left unattended to file charges, a child or teen must also pick up the firearm and present it in a threatening manner to at least one other person.
In a statement to FOX 17, the Kent County Sheriff's Office says the Marine Safety Officer is currently serving a suspension, and will only serve in an unarmed position in the future.
"Through the review we realize that this was entirely accidental, however warrants follow through due to the expectations of our agency, our schools, and our community," said a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office.
Becker on Kenowa Hills HS Gun Found by WXMI on Scribd
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