Montgomery County Police say an employee at Georgetown Prep was arrested on Wednesday for bringing a gun to school.
Police were tipped off to Stephen P. Lafferty, 51, at about 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police say Lafferty, of the 4300 block of Tabler Road in Frederick, brought a Smith & Wesson revolver into his office and placed it on his desk with the intention of having work done to it after school.
The gun was unloaded and in a holster while on the desk, police said.
NBC Washington reported Lafferty appears to be a maintenance worker at the North Bethesda private school, though his information was removed from Georgetown Prep’s website.
Police found the gun and arrested Lafferty. During a search, police say officers found drug paraphernalia.
NBC Washington reported that charging documents said police found a socket with a wire filter inside it, which smelled like burned marijuana.
Police charged Lafferty with one county of possessing a dangerous weapon on school property and one count of possession of CDS paraphernalia. He has been released on bond.
NBC Washington obtained an email sent from Georgetown Prep headmaster Jeffrey Jones about the incident:
An email from Jeffrey L. Jones, acting president and headmaster of Georgetown Prep, told the school community that no threats were made, and that Georgetown Prep followed the school’s emergency protocol.
“The Montgomery County Police contained the situation without incident and the staff member and the weapon were removed from campus,” Jones said in the email.
Jones’ email does not mention Lafferty by name, but later says, “Given the recent improvements in security, procedures, and communication, I can tell you with every confidence that a difficult situation was handled without disturbing the work of the school.”
Photo via MCP
