VIGO COUNTY, Ind. – A school protection officer (SPO) who worked for the Vigo County School Corp. no longer works for the school district after leaving his gun in a bathroom at Honey Creek Middle School.
The officer’s gun was found by a student on Wednesday, reports WTWO. The SPO removed his firearm, which was inside its holster, to use the restroom.
“At no point did a student handle or have possession of the gun and it never left the restroom,” Honey Creek Principal Trina McDonald said in a letter to parents. “I praise the student who immediately reported seeing the gun, that student did everything correctly.”
Security, Police Officers Have Left Guns in Bathrooms at Other Schools
The unattended gun incident in Indiana is just the latest time when a law enforcement officer, armed security officer, armed administrator, or parent left their gun in a school bathroom or other K-12 campus location.
In December, a school resource officer left her gun in a bathroom at Kirby Middle School in Memphis, Tenn. The gun was found by a student who picked it up and took it off campus. There haven’t been any reports indicating the missing firearm has been recovered.
Also in December, a gun was found in a restroom at Hidden Valley Middle School in Roanoke, Va., during a basketball game, reports WDBJ. The firearm was discovered by an adult and belonged to an off-duty Roanoke County Police officer who was attending the game and left the gun unattended after using the bathroom.
In Manorville, N.Y., an off-duty member of the Suffolk County Police Department left his gun in a bathroom at Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School, reports PIX11. The firearm was discovered by a custodian, who immediately notified building security. The officer who left his gun unattended was the parent of a student who attends the school.
Earlier this month, a Bryan Independent School District (Bryan ISD) security officer at Johnson Elementary School in Texas left their gun and holster in a nurse’s bathroom. The duty belt was discovered by a staff member and was not touched by a student. The officer was terminated.
The Bryan ISD incident follows two similar incidents at Fort Bend (Texas) ISD schools that happened in January and February.
