A Stark County judge has dismissed criminal charges against a 10-year-old boy accused of bringing a loaded gun to Sauder Elementary School in May and threatening a fellow student and a school officer.
Judge Matthew P. Kreitzer of Stark County Family Court ruled Tuesday to drop juvenile charges of inducing panic and illegal conveyance of a deadly weapon—second- and fifth-degree felonies, respectively—after a court-ordered psychological evaluation determined the child was mentally unfit to stand trial and unlikely to become competent within the necessary timeframe.
The ruling followed a competency hearing that included expert testimony and reports stating the boy had complied with the terms of his pretrial release. The child reportedly had strong support from both his parents and grandparents.
Authorities said the third grader retrieved a loaded .45-caliber handgun from his grandparents’ home and brought it to school in his backpack on May 19. According to police, the boy made threats directed at another student and the school resource officer.
The officer, alerted to the situation, safely disarmed the child without any injuries to students or staff, officials said.
