Traffic cop arrested as son, 7, brings gun to school

Ozone Park traffic cop Andrea Clarke, her boyfriend, and her 14-year-old son have all been charged with reckless endangerment after police said the Clarke’s 7-year-old boy brought a handgun to school.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s office, Shamel Miller, 23, gave the gun, a .38-caliber, to his girlfriend’s teenage son - identified in published reports as Darius - so that the boy could protect himself. But Darius’ little brother, Christopher, discovered the weapon, which had been hidden underneath a mattress and brought it to his grade school, P.S. 63 in Ozone Park, on Thursday, May 24.
When the second grader flashed glimpses of the unloaded, illegal revolver to classmates, one of the pint-sized students told the teacher, Debra Mergenthaler, who took the gun away. Afterwards police swarmed the Sutter Avenue school, confiscated the gun, whose serial number was defaced, and brought in Andrea, Darius, and Christopher Clarke for questioning.
According to published reports, Darius Clarke told police that he had found the weapon, and when his mother found out, she told him to get rid of the gun. Instead, he stowed it in his home on 80th Street. Andrea Clarke and her teenage son were then arrested and charged by police, and cops began looking for Miller, who they arrested the next day. According to published reports, Miller has been arrested seven previous times for charges including from robbery, assault, and criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Both Andrea Clarke and Miller, who were charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, face one year behind bars. Andrea Clarke’s next court date is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20, and her boyfriend is scheduled to appear before the court the following morning.
“Illegal firearms are a serious threat to public safety. By knowingly having such a weapon in the home, the defendant is accused of creating a scenario that could have had deadly consequences not just for her own children but innocent others who may have come in contact with the weapon,” Brown said of Andrea Clarke.
Darius Clarke’s case is being handled by Family Court, and he is being charged with reckless endangerment as a juvenile for leaving the gun within reach of his little brother.
Christopher Clarke will not likely be suspended from school for one year, the common disciplinary action for students who bring guns to school. “He will definitely face some disciplinary actions, but he will also receive some holistic services,” possibly including counseling, said Department of Education spokesperson Dina Paul Parks, who said that school officials would work with the family to figure out the best placement for the child.