N. Carolina teacher suspended after gun found in classroom

TROY, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina high school teacher has been suspended without pay after a search of his classroom turned up a loaded gun, knives and ammunition, officials said Wednesday.

Jason Hensley, 47, was suspended by Montgomery County Schools pending further disciplinary action, the news release said.

In a news release, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said it was called on Feb. 5 by school superintendent Dale Ellis to investigate reports of a teacher having a gun in their classroom at Montgomery Central High School. A search of Hensley’s desk turned up a loaded .380-caliber handgun, the sheriff’s office said.

The school system said in a separate news release that an additional investigation of the classroom turned up concealed items which included knives and ammunition.

Hensley, who is a health-science teacher at the high school, is a part-time police officer with the town of Mount Gilead. The sheriff’s office said while he may have been in violation of school system policy, there was nothing illegal about having the gun in the classroom.

State law allows a law enforcement officer to have a firearm on educational property as long as they aren’t under the influence of alcohol or unlawful controlled substances, according to the sheriff’s office.