Kindergarten Child Draws Gun Picture in Class, Dad Arrested

By Elyse Morrigan

After a four-year-old girl drew a picture of a man with a gun in her Ontario kindergarten class, her 26-year-old father Jessie Sansone was arrested and strip searched by police after the school contacted Family and Children’s Services over the picture.

Waterloo Police met father-of-four Sansone at the school gates when he tried to pick up his kids, he was then told he was charged with possession of a firearm. He was then handcuffed and put in one of the several squad cars waiting outside, writes Kris Sims at the Toronto Sun.

Sansone said:

“When I was finally able to see my family, after this ordeal was over, my little girl ran up and gave me a hug me and asked: ‘Daddy, are you mad at me?

“How could she ever think that I would be mad at her? She knows this has to do with her drawing.”

While Sansone was being searched, his wife was home with their 15-month-old daughter.

“They came to my house, told my wife that I had been charged with possession of firearms, that she would have to come with them, and that Sundae (their infant daughter) would have to go with the social worker.

“The detective was giving my wife the idea that our children were at the police station with her, just in another room at the station.”

However, the children were actually at the Family and Children’s Services.

“They questioned each of my children.

“At that interview, I wasn’t there, my wife wasn’t there, but my boys, all they know right now is: ‘Daddy and guns, guns and Daddy’ – my kids knew all the police were at the school because of me. Now I have to explain to them how much of a mistake this is.”

After searching the house police found a plastic toy gun. The family is currently looking for a new school for their children.

“So many people dealt with this situation in the wrong way,” said Sansone.