The stepfather of a 7-year-old who was "startled" to find a loaded gun inside his book bag while at school is accused of hiding the gun in his child's bag. And police say that revolver was stolen during a burglary.
Tarron Wescott, 22, was charged today with child endangerment, reckless endangerment and receiving stolen property, according to court records.
Wescott's stepson, a first grader, discovered the gun -- loaded with five bullets -- in his school bag while he was in an after school program yesterday afternoon at the Samuel Daroff Charter School. Universal Daroff is located at 57th and Vine Streets. The school's principal, Anna Smith, said the boy alerted a teacher right away.
“The teacher looked in his book bag and there was a .38-caliber snubnose revolver inside his book bag under his jacket,” said Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker.
Police sources tell NBC10's Nefertiti Jaquez that gun was taken during a 2008 burglary. Wescott admitted that he put the gun in the boy's bag Tuesday night because he believed the bag was being thrown out with the trash, sources said.
Wescott never intended for his stepson to take the bag to school, according to sources.
Bail for Wescott was set at 10 percent of $200,000 on the stolen property charge alone, according to court records.
