A California junior high vice principal will not likely face charges after bringing a concealed weapon to work.
Kent Williams was arrested Friday after an anonymous caller at Tevis Junior High School reported he had a gun and notified school officials.
Police took Williams into custody after the administrator told officers he had a handgun in his backpack, but they released him several hours later after reviewing California’s gun-free school zone law.
Bakersfield police said the 51-year-old Williams had a concealed carry permit with no restrictions, so he did not violate the prohibition against guns on school campuses.
However, the Panama-Buena Vista School District prohibits guns on campus campus without "express authorization" of the district superintendent -- which Williams apparently did not have.
"We are a gun-free zone, and that's a 1,000-feet buffer between us and any folks possessing a firearm," said Assistant Superintendent Gerrie Kincaid. "Our policy, which is linked to the Gun-Free Zone code, is that no employee, nobody, should be on campus with a firearm."
The case has been sent to the Kern County district attorney’s office for further review.
Williams was placed on paid administrative leave while the school district investigates the incident.
