A U.S. Army veteran has been charged with brandishing a gun outside Medina High School after arguing with another father over a parking spot, police reported.
Mitchell Lambert, 44, faces charges of aggravated menacing and inducing panic, both first-degree misdemeanors. He’s scheduled to enter a plea in Medina Municipal Court on Wednesday.
Police Sgt. Brett McNabb said Lambert brandished the weapon for a moment shortly after 2:30 p.m. Friday, when students were being released for the weekend. He never left his vehicle, McNabb said. His teenage child and the other parent’s teenager were present in their respective vehicles during the exchange.
No one was injured in the incident, though it caused some panic. The school went into a brief lockdown, with many students called back inside and others prohibited from leaving while police got the situation under control. A school resource officer responded quickly, and backup arrived shortly afterward.
Lambert could not be reached for comment, and he has no attorney assigned to his case in municipal court.
McNabb said Lambert has a concealed carry permit, but the situation was complicated because federal law prohibits firearms to be brought onto school grounds. The general rule, the sergeant said, is a concealed carry permit allows a gun owner to bring a firearm onto school grounds as long as it does not leave its vehicle.
“It never left the vehicle, so we thought these charges were appropriate,” McNabb said. “If he didn’t have a CCW permit, he’d be facing a fifth-degree felony.”
Incidentally, the school had undergone Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate (ALICE) training — an exercise simulating an attack on the school — earlier in the day.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.