The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says a 31-year-old man is facing child abuse charges a week after a loaded gun was found in a 6-year-old Orange Elementary School student’s backpack.
A loaded gun was found in a 6-year-old student’s backpack by an instructional assistant on September 16th. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the assistant was helping the student unpack their bag, as they had arrived at school late.
At the time the Sheriff’s Office said the child “never intended to use the firearm.”
“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,” the sheriff’s office said.
Now, the Orange Sheriff’s Office says 31-year old Drakar Rawlings of Orange County has been arrested.
Rawlings was charged with one count of allowing children access to a firearm, one count of abuse and neglect of children and two counts of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
“This case has been a very convoluted and complicated one, involving many challenges that required many hours of investigation and effort by numerous members of the Orange Sheriff’s Office, but particularly the investigations section,” the sheriff’s office said.
Rawlings is being held at Central Virginia Regional Jail with no bond.
The Sheriff’s Office says no other information is available at this time.
