LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Authorities have identified a substitute teacher who was arrested Friday after police said he brought a loaded gun to a Shelby County School.

According to court documents, that man is 62-year-old Zack Stearns, of Simpsonville. 

Deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office were called Friday to Heritage Elementary School in Waddy, Kentucky, on a report of suspicious activity. According to court documents, school staff told deputies that Stearns, a substitute teacher, may be walking around inside the school with a gun. They said he had a bulge under his shirt in the small of his back that was in the shape of a firearm.

When deputies arrived, they met with Stearns in the principal's office. He was patted down for weapons and deputies allegedly found a Glock 9mm hidden in his waistband in the small of his back. Authorities said there was no round in the chamber, but it was equipped with a magazine with 14 live rounds. Deputies removed the gun from Stearns' person and secured it.

When confronted, Stearns allegedly told deputies that he had been teaching a fourth grade class when he realized he still had his firearm on his person. He said he carries his firearm everywhere he goes and didn't realize he still had it until he was already in the building.

He admitted that there were a few times during the day when he could have gone outside and secured the gun in his vehicle but he didn't.

Authorities said he also admitted that he knew that there were signs posted outside the building notifying anyone entering that firearms were prohibited inside, but he brought the gun in anyway — and that it wasn't the first time he had done so. 

He said he, "did not intend to alarm anyone."

According to an arrest report, for the past six months, Stearns has served as a substitute teacher at Martha Layne Collins High School, Marnel C. Moorman School, East Middle School and West Middle School. A representative of the human resources department for the Shelby County school district told Stearns on the scene that his employment status was suspended pending the outcome of the investigation but that he would likely be fired in the future.

According to Cyndi Skellie, a spokeswoman for Shelby County Public Schools, Stearns was hired as a substitute in Dec. 2022, under emergency substitute certification -- an expedited route to teaching certification.  She added that the incident has been reported to the Kentucky Educational Professional Standards Board.

She added that even though Sterns has been suspended, no final action, such as termination, can be taken against Stearns by the state or county district until the judicial process has been completed and results in a guilty verdict.

Stearns was booked into the Shelby County Detention Center, where a mugshot was taken. He is currently scheduled to be arraigned May 16.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.