Mpls. School Employee Charged In Gun Incident
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 59-year-old woman has been charged with allegedly bringing a loaded firearm into a Minneapolis elementary school last December.
According to the criminal complaint, on Dec. 19, 2012 at 7:20 a.m., police were called to Seward Elementary School, located at 2309 28th Avenue South, on the report of a school employee bringing a loaded gun to school and storing inside a school-owned locker.
The responding officer learned that Kathleen Elinor Scozzari, who worked as an education assistant in a kindergarten classroom, had been allegedly bringing the gun to school since the Connecticut school shooting, the complaint said.
When the officer arrived, he met with Scozzari and the school principal. During the ensuing conversation, Scozzari admitted to having a permit to carry a concealed weapon and that she had brought the gun into the school, but that it was at home that day, according to the complaint.
The officer then asked if he could look inside the her locker to confirm that the gun was not located there, but Scozzari said she didn't want the him looking inside. The school principal then picked up a large pair of bolt cutters from floor. When the officer asked again, Scozzari allegedly said, "yes."
Inside her locker, the officer recovered the gun, a loaded Ruger .357, and then escorted her out of the school.
Scozzari now faces one count of a permit holder possessing a dangerous weapon on school property, which is a misdemeanor. If convicted, she could face up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
