An eastern Iowa man was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for bringing a handgun to his child’s school.
Prosecutors say 32-year-old Brandon Jones of Iowa City walked into Grant Wood Elementary last November and demanded to speak with the principal, saying his child was wrongfully sent home.
As he walked into the school, Jones unholstered a nine-millimeter handgun and handed it to someone, saying: “Hold my gun so I don’t do something stupid.”
Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith says: “The thing that has probably not gotten enough attention is just the focus on the staff and the kids that were at Grant Wood that day, and how it affected them, and what that staff did to protect the kids and each other in what was a really scary situation.”
A judge sentenced Jones to five years for one count of carrying weapons on school grounds and two counts of harassment in the first degree.
Initially, Prairielands Freedom Fund posted bail for Jones. The bail fund said in a statement the firearm was legal and when Jones realized he’d brought it into the school, he immediately asked his partner to remove it from the premises.
(By Zachary Oren Smith, Iowa Public Radio)