Orange County man arrested after 6-year-old found with loaded gun at school

A man has been arrested after a loaded firearm was found in the possession of a 6-year-old at Orange Elementary School last week.

Drakar Lee Rawlings, a 31-year-old resident of the town of Orange, has been taken into custody and charged with multiple gun crimes after what the Orange County Sheriff’s Office described as a “very convoluted and complicated” investigation.

Orange Elementary School staff contacted the sheriff’s office on Sept. 16 after an instructional assistant reported finding a loaded gun in a 6-year-old’s backpack.

The school was placed under lockdown while sheriff’s deputies seized the firearm and secured the campus.

“The firearm was seized and made safe and an investigation into how it got on campus began,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement issued Tuesday. “The investigation into this event began the second the firearm was found.”

The sheriff’s office said Tuesday that investigators do not believe that the child knowingly carried the loaded gun to school, nor do they believe the child had any intention of using it. Orange County Public Schools officials previously said there had been no threats made to the school before the gun was discovered.

“It is believed that the student never intended to use the firearm,” the sheriff’s office said, “in fact, we believe that the student did not even know the firearm had been stashed in the backpack and was unaware of its existence.”

After “many hours of investigation and effort by numerous members of the Orange Sheriff’s Office,” Rawlings was booked at Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange on Monday, where he remains in custody without bond.

Rawlings has been charged with one count of allowing a child access to a firearm, one count of child abuse or neglect and two counts of possessing or transporting a firearm as a convicted felon.

“This case has been extremely complex and there have been a lot of false assumptions out there,” the sheriff’s office said. “We thank the community for believing in us and trusting that we will be thorough in our efforts to seek Justice.”

It is not unknown for adults to face consequences after underage relations are found in possession of a firearm. When a 6-year-old student in Newport News brought a gun to class and shot his teacher last year, the mother of the student was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon, making false statements and child neglect; she was sentenced to 3 3⁄4 years in prison.

Since the firearm was discovered at Orange Elementary School, Orange County authorities have said they are considering new security “enhancements” on campus.

Metal detectors, surveillance cameras and wearable “panic buttons” for faculty and staff are all on the table, Superintendent Daniel Hornick said in a message sent to parents last Thursday.

“I must admit that this situation has been mentally and emotionally draining for me personally,” Hornick said. “I am incredibly grateful for the quick and professional response of OES staff members and our School Resource Officer. Their actions prevented this situation from turning out worse.”

Hornick has admitted that while protocol demands parents are alerted whenever a school goes into “safe mode,” that did not occur at Orange Elementary last week.

Hornick said that the school division’s Strategic Planning Committee recently identified “safe learning environments” as a key area of focus.

While the aforementioned security measures are a part of that, Hornick said, another part is school culture.

“It is essential to have a school environment in which both students and employees feel valued, heard, and respected,” he wrote. “A positive school culture promotes student engagement and connectedness, reduces behavior issues, and increases employee satisfaction and retention. In schools with positive culture, students benefit from appropriate and trusting relationships with staff members; further, they have access to supports and resources that can help them effectively navigate difficult scenarios. These relationships are critical in reducing inappropriate or destructive behaviors.”

Hornick said parents also play a vital role.

“Nothing can replace the importance of effective parental supervision, engagement, and involvement,” he said. “We ask and encourage all parents/guardians to remain active in providing the crucial oversight needed to help our children make responsible decisions.”

Orange County authorities have urged parents and guardians to exercise restraint when sharing information about supposed threats to students or school faculty and staff. In the past month, Orange County authorities have “debunked” three rumored threats to local schools, none of which had any merit but all of which received considerable attention online.

Source: www.dailyprogress.com