Crime & Public Safety
Substitute teacher arrested after loaded 9mm found in backpack at Westland Senior High
A substitute teacher was arrested Tuesday after a loaded handgun was discovered in an unattended backpack in the Westland Senior High auditorium in Hialeah. A teacher searching the bag for identification found a loaded 9 mm Walther with a round in the chamber and a magazine inserted with seven live rounds; an empty magazine was also in the backpack. The bag was taken to the principal’s office and the school resource officer searched it, located identification linking the backpack to the substitute, and then located and arrested her on campus. The woman, employed through Kelly Services, told the arresting officer she had forgotten to remove the gun from her backpack that morning; she was taken into custody and remains charged as of the report. All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
More Miami-Dade County news · Request a correction or case update
All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.