High school aide hid student’s illegally owned guns, ammunition for him, Florida cops say
A high school disciplinary aide hid two guns and ammunition at her home for a student, according to Florida police.
The student, who attends Gulf High School in New Port Richey, told police he bought handguns from another person at about 4 p.m. April 17 and then contacted the school’s disciplinary aide, according to a report from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
He told police he asked the aide to take a backpack with two guns and ammunition inside, the report says.
She agreed, took the backpack to her home and stored it there, according to police. The student was not legally allowed to have the firearms, which were a Glock 43 handgun and Taurus 9 mm handgun, police said.
The aide, who is 20, “knew or should have known” the student was not allowed to have the guns, but she hid them at her house anyway, the report says.
“(The aide) contributed to the delinquency of a minor by acting as an adult co-conspirator in the possessing and concealing of the firearms of the juvenile,” the report says.
The weapons were also evidence of “an illegal sale and transaction of firearms between minors,” according to police. The student used “counterfeit currency” to purchase the firearms, the report says.
A spokesman for Pasco County Schools said in a statement that the aide had been placed on administrative leave. She was hired as a discipline assistant in August.
“The incident occurred after school hours and did not occur on the Gulf High School campus,” the statement says.
The aide was arrested April 19, according to Pasco County jail records. She faces charges of tampering with evidence and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to police.
She is being held on a $5,150 bond, according to jail records.
New Port Richey is about 35 miles northwest of Tampa. Gulf High School serves grades nine-12 and enrolls 1,450 students, according to U.S. News and World Report.
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