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No Charges Against School Officer

SOUTH CANAAN TOWNSHIP — A school police officer in Wayne County whose gun went off in the high school last week will not face charges, according to the pr...

SOUTH CANAAN TOWNSHIP -- A school police officer in Wayne County whose gun went off in the high school last week will not face charges, according to the prosecutor who looked into the case and said the officer was cleaning his gun at the time.

Western Wayne School Police Officer Paul Semler is still off the job without pay after that incident last week inside his office at the high school.

Newswatch 16 has learned that while the officer won't face charges, the investigation found that Semler and the assistant principal had the same gun so the officer was showing him how to clean it when it fired.

Students dismissed from Western Wayne High School more than a week after a gun went off inside an office.

The gun belonged to School Police Officer Paul Semler, a retired state trooper, and last Wednesday the Wayne County District Attorney started an investigation.

Now, Semler won't face charges since the bullet went through his desk and into the floor while he was cleaning it.

"At no point was the weapon aimed at any person or in any direction of any people in or around the office," said Wayne County District Attorney Janine Edwards.

Western Wayne School Board member A.J. Gaudenzi said Officer Semler should not have been cleaning a gun at the school in the first place.

"We`re going to have to take a look at the policies when it comes to handling your firearm inside the school. Because first and foremost it`s about the safety of the children and the safety of the employees as well," said Gaudenzi.

Pat Rivera was waiting outside the Western Wayne High School to pick up her daughter and said officers should carry guns but be more careful.

Officer Semler was showing the assistant principal how to clean the gun because both men have the same firearm, but the bullet was still in the chamber, according to the investigative report from the district attorney. A portion of the report was obtained by Newswatch 16.

"I think they should have left that out of school, if they wanted to discuss what guns they had and what they were doing with them, that`s not a place to do it in school," said Rivera.

Western Wayne Superintendent Clay LaCoe said it's now a personnel matter and Semler remains suspended without pay.

As for Semler, the school board will have the final say whether he stays on the job.

"We`ll discuss the future, mistakes do occur, I don`t think anyone can deny that," said Gaudenzi.

The Western Wayne School Board could bring up the issue as soon as Monday's meeting.

 

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