A forensics teacher at Dade County (Georgia) High School was arrested Wednesday morning as part of an investigation into an unauthorized gun found at the school the day before. An attorney for the teacher said the firearm possession was an accident that shouldn’t be prosecuted.
Catherine Turner, a 60-year-old Ringgold resident, was arrested at the school and charged with carrying weapons within a school safety zone, a felony offense, the Dade County Sheriff’s Office reported. When asked why Turner brought the gun to the school, Chad Payne, a detective with the sheriff’s office, said he could not discuss a suspected motive because the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
“Any time a gun is found on campus [it] is a threat, but at no time was anyone in imminent danger,” Dade County Schools Superintendent Josh Ingle said in a phone interview.
He said Turner was a teacher at the school and had been working there for a couple of years. The sheriff’s office said Turner taught forensics.
The gun was discovered under a bookshelf Tuesday morning by a teacher, the Dade County Sheriff’s Office reported Tuesday afternoon. The gun was unloaded, but 10 rounds of ammunition were with the gun in its case.