Man faces felony charges for bringing gun to school event, using it as hammer

A Sikeston, Missouri, man who was volunteering at a 4-H event allegedly used a handgun as a hammer Monday at Kelly Elementary School in Benton, Missouri.

Jeffrey Kyle Grubbs, 45, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and child endangerment, both felonies.

He was arrested Tuesday and released on a criminal summons.

He is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Grubbs was volunteering at a 4-H event, and he brought his handgun with him, according to a probable-cause statement by detective Darrin Sides of the Scott County Sheriff’s Department.

Grubbs has a concealed-carry permit, according to a news release from the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, but it is illegal to bring a gun onto school property without consent from a school official.

Grubbs was helping with a club project and proceeded to use the handgun to drive a thumbtack into a wood plaque, gripping the barrel and using the butt of the pistol as a hammer, Sides said.

When Scott County deputies retrieved the gun, it was loaded with bullets in the magazine, but no bullet was in the firing chamber, according to the statement.

Grubbs told deputies he struck the thumbtack a few times before he unloaded the firearm, Sides wrote. He put the bullets in his pocket and continued to use the firearm to strike the thumbtack.

“It was reported that there were two children ages 6 and 9 in the immediate area during the incident,” Sheriff Rick Walter wrote in a news release. “There were multiple people in the general area that were completely unaware of the incident.”

One child was standing slightly behind Grubbs when he used the loaded gun as a hammer, according to the statement.

Grubbs’ children were standing at a table directly behind him, Sides wrote.

The incident was captured on video by a school camera, and deputies talked to several witnesses, according to the statement.

Kelly High School was the site of two high-profile incidents involving firearms.

Landon Urhahn, 18, of Benton pleaded guilty March 10 to unlawful use of a weapon.

He brought a firearm to school in his vehicle Nov. 18, after an argument with other students that occurred the previous day.

It was reported Urhahn also brought a firearm to school in his truck in June 2014 when he was one of four boys who were playing basketball on school grounds.

Kaden Robert, 15, was killed when the gun discharged as it was passed to him in the truck.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

4035 MO-77, Benton, Mo.