Dothan, Alabama

Trust Us With Your Children

August 23, 2007 - A 47-year-old Rehobeth Middle School teacher was suspended for three days for after being arrested on a charge related to a pistol found in his vehicle on school property.

Alabama has some of the weakest gun laws in the nation and does not restrict adults from carrying concealed firearms onto school grounds. However, the federal Gun-Free Schools Act bars individuals from keeping firearms in their vehicles on school property unless the weapon is kept unloaded and locked away.

A school resource officer spotted the weapon through an open window in Martin's vehicle. The vehicle was unlocked. The gun was loaded.

SENTENCED Oct 30 - The teacher pleaded guilty to bringing a gun on school grounds. He told a judge he had used the .45 caliber pistol during a weekend outing in Florida and forgot to remove the weapon from his vehicle. He was sentenced to a 10 day suspended sentence. He will keep his job.