Nice that there's a DA who actually reads and follows the law.
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Parents won't face gun charges in Ontario teen suicide
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) -- No criminal charges will be filed against the parents of a 14-year-old Ontario boy who killed himself with his stepfather's rifle after leaving a note that his family claims linked his suicide to being punished by a school official for leaving campus on the day of an immigration protest.
Anthony Soltero shot himself on March 30 with a .22-caliber rifle that was stored in the garage. Police said the rifle was not in a gun safe and lacked a locking device.
State law says a gun owner who keeps a loaded firearm can face criminal charges if a minor takes it to a public place or uses it in a way that results in injury or death, unless the gun was locked or stored safely.
However, the law also contains a clause requiring prosecutors to weigh the emotional impact on a family if their child is hurt with the gun, authorities said.
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"I'm sure it was a great tragedy to the family. We took that into consideration, as the statute requires us to do," said San Bernardino County Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Maxwell.
The stepfather did keep the gun in a safe place, contended R. Samuel Paz, the family's attorney.
"It was well within the law," he said Monday.
Soltero shot himself at home after a meeting with a vice principal at De Anza Middle School in Ontario. His family has said he left a suicide note indicating he was upset after being told he would be disciplined for leaving school on the day of an immigration protest. The note has not been released.
School district officials said they believe the youth simply cut class with friends and did not attend the off-campus protest.
However, opponents of a House bill that would make being in the country illegally a felony have made Soltero a rallying point.
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Information from: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
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Parents won't face gun charges in Ontario teen suicide
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) -- No criminal charges will be filed against the parents of a 14-year-old Ontario boy who killed himself with his stepfather's rifle after leaving a note that his family claims linked his suicide to being punished by a school official for leaving campus on the day of an immigration protest.
Anthony Soltero shot himself on March 30 with a .22-caliber rifle that was stored in the garage. Police said the rifle was not in a gun safe and lacked a locking device.
State law says a gun owner who keeps a loaded firearm can face criminal charges if a minor takes it to a public place or uses it in a way that results in injury or death, unless the gun was locked or stored safely.
However, the law also contains a clause requiring prosecutors to weigh the emotional impact on a family if their child is hurt with the gun, authorities said.
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"I'm sure it was a great tragedy to the family. We took that into consideration, as the statute requires us to do," said San Bernardino County Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Maxwell.
The stepfather did keep the gun in a safe place, contended R. Samuel Paz, the family's attorney.
"It was well within the law," he said Monday.
Soltero shot himself at home after a meeting with a vice principal at De Anza Middle School in Ontario. His family has said he left a suicide note indicating he was upset after being told he would be disciplined for leaving school on the day of an immigration protest. The note has not been released.
School district officials said they believe the youth simply cut class with friends and did not attend the off-campus protest.
However, opponents of a House bill that would make being in the country illegally a felony have made Soltero a rallying point.
---
Information from: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
