Aide charged with bringing loaded gun to school

Weapon found in backpack

A three-year employee of the Boston public schools was arrested on gun charges yesterday after police said a loaded weapon was found in his backpack at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester, where he is a teacher's assistant.

James Jackson, a 38-year-old father of five, was arraigned in Dorchester District Court and placed on administrative leave after a staff member at the school found the .380-caliber handgun in Jackson's bag, a Suffolk County prosecutor said yesterday.

Jackson, of Mattapan, was charged with possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, and possession of a gun clip with more than 10 rounds. A not-guilty plea was entered on behalf of Jackson, who stood crouched behind a glass pane. Jackson was ordered held on bail and could not be reached for comment.

The incident rattled school officials preparing for the beginning of the school year today.

"A loaded handgun in a school is problematic," said Chris Horan, a spokesman for the school district. "The good thing is there were no students in the building."

Horan called yesterday's arrest an isolated incident and said that district officials are not planning to increase security. The school principal notified parents of the arrest yesterday through the district's automated phone message system.

Jackson is a paraprofessional who works as a teacher's assistant in a classroom with special education students, Horan said. According to city records, Jackson earned about $24,500 for his school job in 2007.

According to assistant district attorney Ingrid Spiegel, a staff member found an unattended backpack in a classroom yesterday at about 11 a.m.

Inside, the employee found a sandwich, a drink, and a smaller Adidas bag. Tucked in the smaller bag was a black and gray .380 pistol.

The principal immediately called police, who determined the gun belonged to Jackson after finding a copy of Sports Illustrated in the bookbag with his name on it, according to a police report.

When police questioned him, Jackson said the gun belonged to his brother, according to the report. Then he changed his story and told officers that he had taken the gun from a group of students who had been fighting on Columbia Road and Washington Street, Spiegel said.

His lawyer, Tim Lowney, said that Jackson did not know the gun was in the bookbag and changed his story because he did not want to get his brother in trouble.

Lowney said that instead of bail, Jackson should be released on condition he wear a monitoring device. Lowney said that Jackson has kidney problems and needs to be home for the sake of his health. Judge Tracy Lee Lyons ordered him held on $20,000 cash bail.

School officials ran a state-mandated criminal background check on Jackson after he was hired in March 2005, but there was nothing in his record that prevented him from being hired, Horan said.

They looked into his background again in 2006 as part of a check on a number of employees, but again school officials found nothing. State law requires background checks on all school employees at least every three years.

Jake Wark, spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, said Jackson has never been convicted of a crime.

But he has been arrested before, according to court records. In 2007, he was charged with possession of marijuana, a charge that was later dismissed.

In 2002 he was charged with driving an unregistered motor vehicle, and in 2004 he was cited for driving with a suspended license, according to court records.

Most recently, his girlfriend filed a complaint against him in Roxbury District Court, accusing him of threatening her and making annoying phone calls, according to court records. In the complaint, she told police that he was known for carrying firearms. He is due in court on Sept. 17 to respond to her complaint.

Lowney said Jackson had worked 12 years for the state Department of Youth Services before working for the school district.

David Abel and John R. Ellement of the Globe staff contributed to this report.