A fourth-grade teacher at Starkey Elementary School was arrested Monday (May 20) after authorities found knives, a 9mn Glock with seven rounds of ammunition and other weapons.
According to reports, the 49-year-old had the weapons, including a six-inch fighting knife and a two-inch finger knife, in classrooms with students.
Reportedly, Starkey Elementary School principal saw Betty Soto behaving suspiciously as she carried the backpack with her wherever she went.
Law enforcement arrived on campus after being notified by the principal. They interviewed Soto and found the weapons. The teacher reportedly was let out on bond at 9 PM Monday night and when asked by reporters why she brought the weapons to school she attributed it to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Ask Desantis,” she answered. “Ask your governor.”
In early May, the Republican governor signed a bill that will allow teachers to carry guns inside a classroom. The measure was a reported response to the Parkland High School shooting.
Soto’s Facebook page will be investigated as part of the overall investigation due to a post that was shared. “Are you surprised I’m a revolutionary? You should have seen it coming. Hate that I was on my way to the plantation, but I had to free some minds.”
Erica Kennedy, a mother of two at Starkey Elementary, described Soto’s behavior as “militant” and “suspicious.”
“She seemed very abrupt, the way she was speaking. I almost felt like she was talking to these kids like she was their parent, you know, just really, a little overboard. So, it made me kind of, something kind of went up in the back of my hair like, hmmm,” Kennedy explained.
Soto reportedly will not be returning to Starkey Elementary School.
