Parents charged after 8-year-old Hall County boy brings gun to school
Cristian Rodriguez Martinez and Heather Rodriguez (Courtesy of Hall County Sheriff's Office)
HALL COUNTY, Ga. - Two Gainesville parents are facing charges after investigators say their 8-year-old son brought a handgun to Myers Elementary School last week.
What we know:
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said Heather Thuy Rodriguez, 31, was arrested Thursday afternoon following the initial investigation. The child’s father, Cristian Ruben Rodriguez-Martinez, 31, turned himself in at the Hall County Jail on Friday afternoon.
According to investigators, each parent is charged with reckless conduct, a misdemeanor, for allegedly leaving the weapon unsecured and accessible to their son.
Authorities said the preliminary investigation found the second grader took the handgun from the console of his parents’ vehicle and brought it into his room on Wednesday evening, Feb. 25. The next morning, Feb. 26, he took the gun to school.
At approximately 8:15 a.m. Thursday, deputies said the boy showed the firearm to a fellow student, who alerted a teacher. The school’s principal searched the child, confiscated the weapon and immediately notified the school resource officer, launching the investigation.
Investigators said the handgun had a loaded magazine but no round in the chamber.
Heather Rodriguez posted a $1,300 bond and was released from jail late Thursday night. Cristian Rodriguez-Martinez posted a $1,300 bond and was released early Saturday morning.