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Florida principal accused of leaving guns unattended in conference room at Parkland school
By Rebecca Rosenberg
Published October 04, 2022
A Florida principal faces criminal charges for allegedly leaving a pair of guns in a conference room at a Parkland middle school, three miles from the site of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
Geyler Herrera-Castro, 39, allegedly brought the guns to Somerset Parkland Academy at 8401 University Drive.
Faculty members found the weapons June 2 in a conference room that was easily accessible to students and alerted a Broward County Sheriff's Office school safety officer, according to police records cited by WPLG Local 10.
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Somerset Parkland Academy principal Geyler Herrera-Castro allegedly brought a pair of guns to school and left them unattended in a conference room. (Facebook/Google maps)
The guns and two loaded magazines were inside a soft, zippered pouch with handles. There was no lock on the pouch or trigger lock on the guns, authorities said.
The principal admitted that the guns were hers and said she had them in her car to take to the post office and put in a safe deposit box.
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She claimed that another staffer who helped her unload the car that morning may have accidently brought them into the school.
But officials reviewed surveillance video, which showed that Herrera-Castro was the only person who accessed her car from May 16 to June 2.
Somerset Parkland Academy principal Geyler Herrera-Castro is facing criminal charges for leaving a pair of guns unattended in a school conference room, three miles from the site of the Parkland school shooting. (LinkedIn)
Investigators believe Herrera-Castro "routinely and willingly" brought the guns on campus, the police report says.
The gun-toting principal's alleged conduct surfaced publicly this week amid Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz's penalty trial.
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He slaughtered 17 people Feb. 14, 2018, with an AR-15-style rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a five-minute drive from Herrera-Castro's school.
Herrera-Castro is charged with two misdemeanor counts of possession of a weapon on school property and one count of crimes against a person. She had a concealed carry weapons permit.
She is still listed on the school's website as the principal. She did not immediately return a request for comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-principal-accused-leaving-guns-unattended-conference-room-parkland-school