A Florida woman, 39-year-old Shanae D. Davis, was recently arrested after her child was found to have a Glock 43 9 mm handgun in his lunchbox at daycare. Davis was charged with felony child neglect without causing great bodily harm and a misdemeanor for allowing a minor to possess a firearm and bring it to school, according to court documents.
The incident occurred on March 14, 2024, when a Riviera Beach Police Department officer responded to a call about “lost property found” at a local daycare. A teacher at the daycare, whose name was withheld in the report, had discovered the firearm in a child’s lunchbox and immediately contacted the authorities.
The daycare center, identified by CBS affiliate WPEC as Jackson’s Daycare Center located on W31st Street in Riviera Beach, was the scene of the incident. The teacher had already returned the firearm to Davis, the mother of the child, by the time the officer arrived. Davis informed the officer that the gun was now securely stored in her vehicle’s glove compartment. The officer then seized the black and gray weapon from Davis.
Davis provided an explanation to the police about how the firearm ended up in her child’s lunchbox. She stated that she usually keeps her gun in her glove box, but due to recent break-ins at her apartment complex, she had started taking the weapon out of the car. On the morning of the incident, Davis placed the gun in her child’s lunchbox because she doesn’t carry a purse and didn’t want the gun to be visible. She admitted that she forgot to remove the gun from the lunchbox until she received a call from the daycare asking her to come to the school immediately.
The daycare teacher told police that upon discovering the firearm in the lunchbox, she immediately yelled “GUN,” prompting another teacher to come and verify whether the weapon was real. Fortunately, no one was harmed during the incident.
Davis was taken into custody and booked into Palm Beach County Jail on the day of the incident. She was later released after posting a $2,000 bond. Davis is set to appear in court again on April 18.