MILWAUKEE — Newly unsealed court records show a Milwaukee Public Schools principal has been criminally charged.
Prosecutors say he failed to report an incident involving a gun inside a school. Court documents reveal he’s also accused of lying to police about it.
The district attorney’s office says the alleged crimes happened in February at Thurston Woods Campus school. It serves students from 4 years old through 8th grade.
A sign next to the front door of the school says weapons are prohibited. Korettea Cooper says she had no clue that policy was violated while her son was in class.
“As a parent, what does that make you think?” TMJ4 reporter Ben Jordan asked.
"The adults that's supposed to be protecting the children, how can I trust them to protect my son if you let this happen to another kid,” Cooper said.
Prosecutors say an 11-year-old student brought a handgun to school, pointed it at a classmate, and pulled the trigger, but the chamber was empty.
According to court documents, a student who witnessed the incident told a teacher who found the gun hidden in a stairwell and brought it to Principal Dennis Daniels.
Principals are mandated to report any incident of school violence where there is a serious or imminent threat.
Watch: Principal accused of lying to police about gun incident:
Prosecutors say that didn’t happen, and Daniels failed to report the incident to district administrators or law enforcement.
Instead, investigators claim Daniels brought the gun to Milwaukee police the next day and lied to them about how it was recovered, saying, "he found the gun under a bush outside the school."
The criminal complaint alleges the truth came to light eight days later. That’s when a spokesperson says MPS contacted police and informed students.
Geri Reed says that the notification made no mention of a gun allegedly pointed at a child’s head.
"It's really not a lot of information that was given,” she said. "I want to know detail to detail."
Daniels is charged with misconduct in public office and obstructing an officer. He’s due in court next month.
An MPS spokesperson said the district couldn’t comment on his employment status.
As for the student with the gun, court records show he was eventually expelled by MPS. TMJ4 is still trying to find out if he faces any charges in juvenile court.
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