An Indiana mother, apparently unhappy with a lesson taught at her daughter’s school, made a bold – and illegal – move. Carrie Rivers allegedly showed up at her daughter’s school with a gun and ended up in jail. She withdrew her daughter from Valley Mills Elementary School in Decatur Township after a teacher allegedly gave an assignment referencing same-sex relationships. The mother apparently misunderstood the intent of the lesson, however, and the situation quickly escalated.
According to court documents obtained by WTHR, the teacher told police the assignment revolved on flags. This included flags from countries worldwide and referenced a rainbow flag in her classroom with the words “be kind.” When Rivers complained, the teacher told police she dismissed her daughter from having to complete the work. Evidently, that wasn’t enough, and Rivers reportedly removed her daughter from school on April 9.
Per court documents, the enraged mother showed up to the school with a gun holstered to her waist. Having a gun on school property is a felony in Indiana. Police confronted Rivers at the school, who apparently thought police wanted to talk to the teacher and not her. Following the interaction, she allegedly sent this message to the teacher:
“…your a child predator and your only hope is your b—h a– wife that is a cop otherwise someone else woulda already delt with u for ur wrongs. U messed with the wrong family. I’ll tell you that so please say ur prayers and kiss ur kids goodbye and goodnight u never know when god says its our time so always be prepared,” WTHR reported.
Later that day, police said the teacher received a message from a Facebook account they believe belonged to Rivers. It allegedly read, “sick, nasty teacher, you should never tell precious innocent kids that it’s okay to be in a same sex relationship.”
The teacher told police she had a family photo on her desk that must have tipped Rivers off to her wife’s job in law enforcement.
Police arrested Rivers, and she faces a charge of possession of a firearm on school property. She is due in court on April 15, per WTHR.
Decatur Township Schools released a statement to WTHR that reads,
“On Wednesday, April 9, school officials contacted the Decatur Township School Police, following school safety protocols, to assist with a parent who became upset during a meeting with administration.
No threats were made against students or staff at that time. The police suspected that the parent had possession of a concealed handgun on her person and escorted her out of the building. At that point, they took possession of the weapon from the parent without incident outside the school. The parent stated that she forgot to remove the handgun before arriving on school property.
After the incident, it came to our attention that the parent then sent harassing and threatening messages to her child’s teacher. A warrant was filed for her arrest, and she is not permitted on any Decatur Township school property. We are committed to ensuring a safe learning environment for students and staff, and are grateful for the quick action of the office staff and school police in handling the situation safely.”
Rivers could spend up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted. If she is a prior felon or has a previous gun conviction, the sentence could be up to 15 years.
