Detroit teacher arrested after gun allegedly falls out of bag inside high school
William Howard
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Detroit teacher is accused of bringing an unlicensed handgun to Cody High School.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said the weapon was discovered Wednesday when it allegedly fell out of William Kenneth Howard's bag in a hallway at the school.
Police cleared the scene and arrested 57-year-old Howard, who is from Southfield.
Howard was charged with one count of carrying a concealed weapon and one count of possession of a weapon in a weapons-free school zone. He was given a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
"I revere educators. Their jobs are among the hardest in today’s times. But we simply cannot ignore the alleged conduct in this case - a teacher bringing a gun into a weapon free zone," said Prosecutor Kym Worthy. "The alleged facts in this case are that not only was this gun unlicensed, but that it was dangerously unsecured."
Detroit Public Schools Community District released a statement:
"We understand and support Prosecutor Worthy’s decision to charge Mr. Howard. We believe that only trained police officers should carry weapons in our schools. After we learned of the incident, we immediately placed Mr. Howard on administrative leave pending our investigation. A recommendation for termination is likely."