A Norristown woman is facing charges after she allegedly left a firearm unsecured in her home, which her 6-year-old son then took to school.
Jasmin Devlin, 30, has been charged with felony endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment in connection with the investigation. She’s currently free on $50,000 unsecured bail, with the stipulation she have no contact with children.
Norristown Police were dispatched to Joseph K. Gotwals Elementary School on Feb. 9 for a report of a child with a gun. Investigators said a group of children told the school secretary that Devlin’s 6-year-old son had showed them a real gun with bullets on the school bus, and a search of the boy’s backpack by the secretary revealed the handgun inside.
According to charging documents, the boy located the firearm in a dresser in Devlin’s bedroom during the evening of Feb. 8 and began playing with the weapon with his 10-year-old brother. The eldest brother reportedly removed the bullets from the gun, then began pointing it at the younger brother, pretending to shoot him, police said.
The 6-year-old allegedly told police he returned to Devlin’s bedroom in the middle of the night, at which point he placed the handgun — which was later determined to have been part of a straw purchase — in his backpack and later took it to school.
“This incident is a frightening reminder of the fact that children can and do find unsecured firearms in a home, and they play with them. Thankfully, these young boys were not shot or injured in their home, and no one was shot or injured at school thanks to the quick action by school personnel,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. “This case is also a reminder of just how dangerous straw purchased firearms are.”
Norristown Police Chief Michael Bishop offered praise to the students for immediately reporting the firearm to school officials.
“I would like to commend the children who notified school officials immediately, thus preventing another tragedy at a school,” said Bishop. “These children are the true heroes in this unfortunate incident. Their notification to school officials resulted in an immediate response by Norristown Police, ensuring the safety of everyone at the school.”
Devlin has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. in front of District Judge Francis Lawrence Jr. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney William Highland.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause. This story was updated to reflect the child's current custody status.
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