Kitchener man strip-searched after daughter draws picture of gun
02/24/2012 | Erin Criger, CityNews.ca
A Kitchener man says he was arrested and subjected to a strip search after his daughter drew a picture of a gun at school.
Jessie Sansone, 26, was taken into custody when he went to pick up his three children from Forest Hill Public School on Wednesday.
His wife and their 15-month-old child were waiting for them at home.
Sansone said he was taken to the principal’s office, where police officers were waiting. His children were taken in by Family and Children’s Services, and he was taken to a police station in handcuffs.
Then, Sansone said, police went to his home and searched it.
"The officers had every concern, based on the information collected, and the interviews with people at the school, that there was a firearm in a residence in Kitchener," Waterloo police Insp. Kevin Thaler told CityNews.
Police believed "the unsecured weapon was accessible to kids, had been accessed by kids, and that the gun was being pointed at kids by one another."
Sansone told CityNews he was subjected to a strip search while in custody. Several hours later, he was released. No charges were laid, and police found only a toy pistol in the home.
Sansone added that the allegations were especially hurtful because he had worked with the principal in the past. Sansone, who is a certified personal support worker and life-issues coach, often works at Kitchener schools, including Forest Hill.
Sansone admitted he was convicted of assault and attempted burglary five years ago, but he has never faced weapons charges.
Some followup...
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