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Warwick resident Gillian Jeffords, who worked at the Jesse J. Kaplan School in West Nyack will not spend time behind bars, but has been sentenced to three years probation following her arrest early last year for criminal possession of a weapon in a school.
Jeffords, 24, was arrested on March 28 last year, when another employee noticed a handbag that contained a handgun and contacted police investigators. The gun was later identified as a black Ruger 9mm handgun, which was found in a staff closet. Four loaded magazines were also recovered from Jeffords’ bag, including 14 rounds of hollow-point bullets.
When the gun was found, no students were in the classroom, though the school initiated its lockdown protocol as a precaution. The investigation into the gun ultimately determined it was Jeffords, who is a known competitive shooter. Once the gun was secured, the lockdown was lifted.
Police said that “at no point was this weapon displayed or used in a threatening manner by the teacher’s aide.” It was determined that Jeffords had a valid license for the weapon in both New York and Pennsylvania, but it is illegal in New York to have a gun on school property.
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