# 2-year-old at daycare with loaded gun in mouth

> Virginia daycare operator left loaded gun accessible to children while staff checked phones.
- Title: 2-year-old at daycare with loaded gun in mouth · Law & Crime
- Summary: Virginia daycare operator left loaded gun accessible to children while staff checked phones. A Virginia daycare operator faced charges after a 2-year-old…
- Keywords: thrive learning center east, richmond, virginia, daycare, loaded gun, fanny pack, child safety, firearm, school property, reckless handling, crime, news
- Source: Law & Crime — https://lawandcrime.com/crime/2-year-old-at-daycare-put-loaded-gun-found-in-unzipped-fanny-pack-in-mouth-as-staff-were-looking-down-at-their-phones-state
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: thrive learning center east, richmond, virginia, daycare, loaded gun, fanny pack, child safety, firearm, school property, reckless handling, crime, news
## Incident at Thrive Learning Center East
A 2-year-old at a daycare found a loaded gun left in an unzipped fanny pack and placed it in their mouth.
## Staff members distracted
Staff members were looking down at their phones while another staff member had her back turned.
## Daycare operator charged
Martha Evans faces charges of possession of a firearm on school property and reckless handling of a firearm.
## Gun left accessible
Evans allegedly left the loaded gun 'accessible to children' on a stack of cots about 2 1/2 feet off the ground.
## Child placed gun in mouth
The toddler took the gun out of the fanny pack and put it in their mouth before putting it down on a table.
## Staff noticed after delay
About 15 seconds passed before anyone noticed the child was in possession of the gun.
## Staff reaction
The staff member putting socks on the other child saw the gun, immediately jumped up, grabbed the weapon and handed it to Evans.
## Pattern of behavior
Evans has regularly brought a firearm into the center inside of a fanny bag for nearly four months.
## Daycare reporting delay
The daycare allegedly did not report the incident to the Department of Social Services for four days.
## State response
The state wrote in its Plan of Correction that all staff will be trained on mandated reporting requirements and zero tolerance for firearms.
## Daycare closure
WTVR reported that the daycare closed Friday after the incident.
## Evans released
Evans has since bonded out of jail with her next court date set for December 15.
## Other violations
Investigators found other violations including a 14-month-old left unsupervised during nap and children without required immunizations.
## State action
The state required Thrive Learning Center East to adhere to zero tolerance for firearms on daycare property.
## Consequence
The daycare operator faces charges and the facility closed after the incident.
## Key takeaway

A Virginia daycare operator faced charges after a 2-year-old placed a loaded gun in their mouth while staff looked down at phones.