Indian Land SC man left loaded gun in 5-year-old’s bookbag after hike: Sheriff
A South Carolina man has been arrested on a felony charge after leaving a loaded pistol and knife in a 5-year-old boy’s bookbag that was found at school, officials said Thursday.
Alexander Storm Savarese, 29, of Indian Land, remains jailed for unlawful conduct toward a child after speaking with detectives Thursday, Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
The loaded pistol and a knife were found Wednesday afternoon at Harrisburg Elementary School in Indian Land when the kindergarten student was leaving school for the day. No one was hurt.
Deputies have not said what relationship there may be between Savarese and the child, or how Savarese got access to the bookbag.
Efforts to reach deputies for more information late Thursday were unsuccessful.
Savarese went to a sheriff’s station Thursday around lunchtime and told police he used the child’s bookbag when hiking Tuesday, according to the statement.
Faile said Savarese put his knife and his gun in the bag, then forgot to take them out after the hike.
Sheriff: Suspect must be “held accountable”
The school is located in northern Lancaster County near Fort Mill and the Ballantyne area of Charlotte.
Deputies do not believe Savarese left the weapons in the bag with the intent that they be taken to school, according to the statement.
Yet Savarese must be held accountable for the danger he put students and staff in, Faile said. The conduct “created a very real risk to the child and everybody else at Harrisburg Elementary,” Faile said.
The charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison under South Carolina law. Savarese is expected to have a first appearance in court Friday.
