Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
A man from St. Louis County admitted to possessing a firearm on school grounds during a court hearing on Thursday. Leslie Wilkes, 26, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of a firearm in a school zone.
The incident occurred on May 5, 2023, at an early childhood education center's parking lot located on Raymond Avenue in St. Louis. Wilkes was involved in a dispute with the father of a student at the center. He was identified as the boyfriend of the student's mother.
Wilkes threatened the principal, stating that if she released the child to the father, "the center would 'have problems and he would be there every day.'" Additionally, he threatened to shoot the father. Officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene and instructed Wilkes to put down his weapon before taking him into custody.
Wilkes explained to officers that he had picked up the gun because his hand was injured and he could not physically confront the father. He was found carrying a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 semiautomatic pistol.
Sentencing for Wilkes is scheduled for June 17. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nauman Wadalawala.
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