Shaunee Burkhart, Possessing a Firearm in a School Zone, Missouri 2018

Shaunee Burkhart, 33, of Blue Springs, Mo., was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, after carrying a loaded 9mm handgun into James Walker Elementary School — a federal offense that carries stiff penalties under U.S. law. The father of students at the school is now charged with one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm in a school zone, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City.

Burkhart entered the school at approximately 10:08 a.m., used a school phone to request a ride, and was seen recording himself on an electronic tablet, according to a sworn affidavit. A school secretary grew uneasy, noting his behavior was ‘strange and out of the ordinary,’ and called the Blue Springs School District Department of Public Safety. After leaving the building, Burkhart sat on a bench outside the front entrance — where officers later spotted him walking quickly, appearing to smoke something with a strong marijuana odor trailing behind him.

When police approached, Burkhart picked up his pace, crossed the street, and ducked behind trees. He was visibly jittery and nervous during the encounter. An officer spotted a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol tucked in Burkhart’s rear waistband and immediately seized it. A search revealed a marijuana cigarette inside a red cigarette pack in his front left pants pocket.

Moments later, Burkhart’s sister arrived in an SUV. Defying police orders to stay in her vehicle, she hugged her brother — then attempted to slip an item from his chest pocket into her bra. Officers intervened and recovered a cigarette pack containing Burkhart’s Colorado state ID and two yellow Ziploc baggies filled with methamphetamine. The scene unfolded just steps from a school filled with children.

Burkhart tried to flee as officers cuffed him and led him to a patrol car. Law enforcement noted signs of intoxication — slurred speech, disorientation, and no clear memory of the encounter. A glass smoking pipe with methamphetamine residue was later found inside his backpack. Burkhart admitted to smoking marijuana two to three times a week for five years, using meth ‘numerous times’ in the past month — including the night before — and taking Vicodin that morning, bought off a street dealer.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raskin. It was investigated by the Blue Springs Police Department and the Blue Springs School District Department of Public Safety. U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Garrison emphasized that the charges are accusations only, and Burkhart is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. A detention hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, March 6, 2018. The firearm-in-school-zone charge alone carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

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