Mother charged with providing guns to son who allegedly threatened to shoot students
The mother of a Uniontown Area High School student who allegedly planned to shoot four people at school reportedly told state police she allowed him to keep guns in his room to “let him grow up.”
Lenora A. Hendrix, 45, now faces a single felony charge of possession of firearms by a minor for allegedly providing her 14-year-old the guns.
Police said they went to Hendrix’s Henry Clay Township home on Jan. 25 after a student on the school bus recorded the boy allegedly talking about shooting four students, and took that recording to authorities.
The complaint filed against Hendrix indicated that she told police she allowed her son to have the guns to teach him responsibility.
Police said they found several firearms in the boy’s room, including a .22-caliber Magnum Research, a Pointer 20-gauge shotgun, a Mossberg .22 rifle, an Ithaca .22-caliber rifle and a Western Auto .22-caliber revolver.
Police said all of the gun were “readily accessible” and were found in the boy’s bedroom.
Trooper Wesley Wilson, who filed the charge against Hendrix, indicated that there were also numerous rounds of assorted ammunition for the firearms in the boy’s room.
Authorities said previously they also found two machetes, throwing knives and a crossbow with arrows.
The boy was charged as a juvenile with terroristic threats, attempt to commit a catastrophe and possession of a firearm by a minor.
When investigators interviewed the boy about why he wanted to shoot four classmates, he reportedly told them it was because he just did not like those students.
The alleged threat prompted school officials in the city district to tighten security in its schools, and last week, Uniontown’s school board voted to arm its district police officers.
The charge against Hendrix was filed before Magisterial District Judge Nathan Henning. She has yet to be arraigned in the case.