Lenoir man arrested for possessing a firearm on School Property

LENOIR, NC (May 1, 2018)…On May 1, 2018, at 11:26 am, The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an individual at the lobby of the Gymnasium at Happy Valley School.  The individual was confronted and told to leave by School Personnel.  Personnel at Happy Valley were able to identify the individual by Driver’s License as Blaine Frances Pennington III.  Pennington was observed leaving Happy Valley School in an older model dark in color Ford Truck with a white camper shell.  Pennington agreed to leave the School and there were no altercations from the incident.  At 11:57 am a call was received from Collettsville School of an individual that was in possession of a firearm on school property.  The individual was approached by school personnel and advised to leave the premises.  School personnel observed that the individual was in possession of a firearm that remained in a holster that was on his side while on the property.  The individual left the Collettsville School driving an older model dark in color Ford truck with a white camper shell.  School personnel were able obtain the license plate number for the vehicle and relayed the information to the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office.  The License Number provided was also identified as belonging to Blaine Francis Pennington III.

 Deputies observed the vehicle matching the description on Abington Road near the intersection of Beecher Anderson Road and conducted a vehicle stop and identified Blaine Frances Pennington III as the driver of the vehicle.  Pennington was taken into custody and Taurus 380 Semi-Automatic Pistol was located on his side.  When asked about why he was on school property he refused to provide any intelligible answer as to why he was on school property.  There have been no facts that have been established to indicate Pennington had any legitimate reason to be on any of the school properties.

 Blaine Frances Pennington III, age 50, of 2540 Post Place, Lenoir, NC, has been charged with Two count of Felony Possession of a Gun on Educational Property.  He has been placed in the Caldwell Detention Center under a $25,000.00 Secured bond and his First appearance has been set for Thursday, May 3, 2018 in District Court in Lenoir.

 “Our children are our most precious resource and incidents like this one amplify the need to have School Resource Officers stationed at every school in Caldwell County.”  Sheriff Alan C. Jones