Adult charged after Virginia 6 year old brings gun in backpack

A man has been charged after a Virginia 6-year-old went to school with a gun in their backpack and authorities think the child had no idea the gun was even there.

Drakar L. Rawlings, 31, has been charged with one count of allowing access to firearms by children, one count of abuse and neglect of children and two counts of possession or transportation of firearms, firearms ammunition, stun weapons, explosives or concealed weapons by convicted felons, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

The nature of the relationship between the suspect and the child was not immediately clear and the investigation is ongoing, according to the sheriff's office.

School employee found gun in backpack

It was not immediately clear who was representing Rawlings in court either.

The incident happened on Sept. 16 at Orange Elementary School in Orange, Virginia, about 29 miles northeast of Charlottesville, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday afternoon.

An instructional assistant found the gun in the 6-year-old’s backpack, then a school administrator and a school resource officer took the backpack, the sheriff’s office said when the incident first happened.

In its most recent announcement, the sheriff’s office said the student likely had no plans to use the gun and had no idea it was in the backpack.

“This case has been a very convoluted and complicated one involving many challenges that required many hours of investigation and effort by numerous members of the Orange Sheriff’s Office but particularly the investigations section,” the sheriff’s office wrote Tuesday afternoon.

The sheriff’s office said multiple agencies were involved in the investigation, including Orange County Public Schools, Virginia State Police, Probation and Parole, the Department of Forensic Science, the Department of Social Services, the Town of Orange Police Department and the Orange Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. 

“This interagency cooperation is something that we cherish,” the sheriff’s office said.

Rawlings is being held at Central Virginia Regional Jail with no bond and the investigation is ongoing.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].