The mom of a 6-year-old who shot his first-grade instructor in a Virginia classroom pleaded responsible on Monday to federal felony prices for utilizing marijuana whereas proudly owning a firearm, and making false statements about drug use when she purchased the gun.

The mom, Deja Taylor, was previously indicted by a grand jury in Virginia on state felony prices of neglect and endangerment, in connection along with her son’s entry to the handgun that he used within the taking pictures.

This time, the federal authorities centered on her buy and possession of the gun, which, she acknowledged in her plea on Monday, was unlawful given the extent of her marijuana use. Although leisure marijuana is allowed in Virginia, federal legal guidelines prohibit addicted or “unlawful” drug customers from proudly owning a gun.

The prices, which got here final week, are the most recent improvement in a case that has drawn nationwide consideration amid charged debates over weapons and faculty security. The January shooting in a first-grade classroom in Newport News, Va., shocked the neighborhood due to the kid’s age and raised questions in regards to the college’s response and the boy’s entry to the weapon.

The instructor, Abigail Zwerner, had been in the midst of a routine lesson when, the police stated, the boy pulled out the gun, aimed it at her and fired. A single bullet passed through her hand and struck her chest; she was significantly injured however survived.

The youngster has not been charged.

According to courtroom paperwork filed on Monday, federal brokers searched a rubbish bin at Ms. Taylor’s house days after the taking pictures and “found copious amounts of marijuana, and packaging for marijuana edibles.” They later discovered marijuana in Ms. Taylor’s purse and in a bed room of a house the place she had been staying along with her mom. Prosecutors stated Ms. Taylor had admitted “that her chronic use of marijuana was not recreational, and it affected her behavior.”

In July 2022, when Ms. Taylor purchased the gun from Winfree Firearms in Yorktown, Va., she checked a field on a type to point that she was not “an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug or any other controlled substance,” based on courtroom paperwork.

That assertion led to final week’s federal prices of creating a false assertion whereas buying a firearm, and unlawfully utilizing a managed substance whereas proudly owning a gun.

Initially, the police stated that the weapon was legally bought by Ms. Taylor. A lawyer for the household, James Ellenson, has said that the gun was saved on a prime shelf of the mom’s bed room closet and had a set off lock.

Gene Rossi, additionally a lawyer for Ms. Taylor, stated on Monday that the case was “a perfect storm of horrible consequences.”

He added that sentencing for the federal prices was anticipated in October, and that each side had agreed that punishment wouldn’t exceed a 24-month jail sentence. Prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The trial on the state prices is predicted to start out in August.

“Her role in this tragedy is a complete mistake and an accident,” Mr. Rossi stated. “However, she accepts all responsibility for her son’s actions and has tremendous guilt over what happened.”