Anne Arundel Co. substitute teacher arrested after gun found in backpack had previous weapons charge
BALTIMORE -- An Anne Arundel County substitute teacher is facing serious charges.
Derric Simms, 45, is accused of bringing a loaded handgun to Glen Burnie High School last week.
The discovery of the gun in a backpack triggered a lockdown at the school.
"I was absolutely shocked," Nanette Williams of Glen Burnie said. "In the area that I live, just something of that magnitude."
Simms faces several charges related to having the gun on school property, but police tell WJZ Simms was also charged with illegal possession of a gun due to a previous conviction.
WJZ took a look into Simms' record and we found a previous weapons charge dating back to 1999.
When WJZ asked school leaders about this charge, a spokesperson told us Simms passed all three background checks required by the school system and the 20-year-plus gun charge did not disqualify him from employment.
But, parents say that explanation is unacceptable and the district should have stiffer security measures in place.
"You expect your kids to be safe when you send them to these schools," parent Brandi Smith said. "To know it wasn't even a stranger, it was someone the school actually hired, that's where it hits a little more close to home."
Anne Arundel County Police arrested a substitute teacher for bringing a loaded handgun to Glen Burnie High School last week.
— Jessica Albert (@JessicaAlbertTV) October 9, 2023
We did some digging into that teachers past and learned he shouldn’t have had the gun in the first place.
We’ll have more tonight at 11 on @wjz pic.twitter.com/wc7LtepFtC
Smith's son will be a student at Glen Burnie High School next year.
After hearing about this latest incident, she says she's worried.
"I hope really nothing like this happens when he goes there," Smith said. "It's a little nerve-racking."
The gun was found last Friday around 2 p.m.
Anne Arundel County School leaders tell WJZ it was discovered by a staff member in a backpack that was left behind in a classroom while students were switching classes.
"It hit really close to home," Smith said. "So it was kind of terrifying because it's like that right up the street from where we are. It could happen to any school."
School leaders also said no student came in contact with the backpack the gun was found in.
Simms remains in jail, being held without bond.
He has also been barred from working at Anne Arundel County Schools ever again.