Teacher Accused of Having Gun at Newtown Middle School Pleads Not Guilty

School policy forbids the possession of firearms on school property

A Newtown Middle School teacher accused of having a concealed gun at the Connecticut school has pleaded not guilty and is due in court next month.

Jason M. Adams, 46, of Newtown, has been on administrative leave since April 6, when school security staff detained him and police charged him with possession of a weapon on school grounds.

Court documents show he was carrying a loaded .45-caliber pistol in a holster inside the school, according to the Associated Press.

Newtown Middle School is in the same town as Sandy Hook Elementary, where a deadly mass shooting in 2012 prompted strict gun laws statewide.

Police said they do not know why Adams was carrying a gun in school earlier this month.

Adams did not appear in court, but his lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and filed an administrative continuance.

Adams had a valid State of Connecticut pistol permit when he was found with the gun, according to police who contacted the State's Licensing and Permit Unit and made them aware of the arrest.

The state of Connecticut enacted some of the strictest gun laws in the nation after the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, where 20 first graders and six educators were killed.    

Police said school policy strictly forbids the possession of firearms on school property.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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