School guard had gun in car
Security officer fired and charged
By OREN DORELL, Staff Writer
RALEIGH -- A security officer whose job included enforcing Wake schools' zero-tolerance policy toward weapons was charged Monday with possession of a firearm on school property.
In addition to the misdemeanor charge, Ronald Gaylord Johnson, 25, of 1316-G Calumet Drive in Raleigh was fired from his job with Lankford Protective Services. Lankford has a contract to provide parking lot security for Southeast Raleigh High School, said John Rothecker, interim senior director of security for the Wake Public Schools.
Rothecker and a Lankford project manager went to the Wake schools maintenance building at 1553 Rock Quarry Road to confront Johnson after Rothecker received information from a confidential informant that Johnson had a firearm "and is known to carry it all the time," Rothecker said.
The butt of the weapon was visible under the seat of Johnson's locked car, Rothecker said.
When confronted, Johnson said that the gun is registered and legal and that he uses it for a part-time security job elsewhere, according to Rothecker.
Lankford provides armed and unarmed officers and bike patrols at Wake schools. Johnson had been working as an unarmed officer at Southeast Raleigh High since Aug. 12, Rothecker said. His duties were to patrol the parking lot, check for lunch passes and keep unauthorized people off school grounds. Had he seen a firearm on school property, he would have been expected to call police, Rothecker said.
Raleigh police were called to Rock Quarry Road, and their investigation determined that the gun had been in Johnson's vehicle earlier that day while he was on the high school campus, said Raleigh police spokesman Jim Sughrue.
Police think the vehicle had been locked at the school, but it was not clear whether the firearm was in plain view in the school parking lot, Sughrue said.
