Man in trouble for taking loaded gun to school and using it as a hammer

A man from Sikeston, Missouri, who was volunteering at a school event allegedly used a handgun as a hammer on Monday. Jeffrey Kyle Grubbs, 45, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and child endangerment, both felonies. He was arrested on Tuesday and released on a criminal summons. Grubbs was volunteering at Kelly Elementary School in Benton, Missouri.

He had taken 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 the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, but it is illegal to take 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. Grubbs told deputies he struck the thumbtack a few times before he unloaded the firearm, Sides said. 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 said. “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 said. The incident was captured on video by a school camera, and deputies talked to several witnesses.