Photo: Courtesy of Swansea Police Department
SWANSEA, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Swansea police charged a couple with child endangerment after a second grader allegedly brought a firearm to Mark G. Hoyle Elementary school.
Christopher Spangler, 51, and Heather Spangler, 43, face a slew of charges, including five counts of possession of firearms without proper licenses and two counts of reckless endangerment of a child.
This comes after authorities received an anonymous tip on Monday that a student had brought a gun to the school on April 1.
On Tuesday morning, local police and Swansea Public School officials initiated an investigation into the incident and took additional precautions at the school.
The investigation led authorities to a home on Market Street, where they retrieved five guns, four of which were loaded, and various types of ammunition. Police seized multiple handguns, a shotgun, and a .22-caliber rifle from the home.
Police say none of the firearms were registered or properly stored, and that nobody inside the home had a valid Firearms Identification Card.
“This situation had the potential to end in a tragedy,” Chief Mark Foley said. "Because of the work of our Swansea Police investigators, no one was hurt and several firearms that were possessed illegally and stored unsafely are now off the street."
The couple’s arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22 at Fall River District Court.