This teacher was allegedly loaded on two fronts.
An elementary school teacher in Georgia showed up to class with booze on her breath and a loaded pistol in her purse, police said.
Melanie Bullard, 39, was arrested on charges of reckless conduct and possession of a weapon on school property on Thursday after a staffer at Shelton Elementary School reported smelling alcohol on her, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Bullard, who remained identified as a kindergarten teacher on the school’s website as of Friday, later tested positive for alcohol and a school resource officer found a gun in her purse when searching the bag for a bottle of booze, Paulding County Sheriff Sgt. Ashley Henson told the newspaper.
Bullard’s purse was found on the floor under a desk in her classroom, Henson said.
Calls seeking additional comment from Henson were not immediately returned Friday.
A spokeswoman for the Paulding County School District declined to say how long Bullard had been employed with the district or whether she had any previous disciplinary issues.
“The safety of our students is our top priority,” spokeswoman Suzanne Wooley said in a statement to The Post.
Wooley said the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation once the semi-automatic handgun was found in Bullard’s purse. Bullard remained jailed without bond as of Thursday, WXIA reports. It’s unclear whether she has hired an attorney.