Toledo elementary school gunfire suspect pleads not guilty

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A woman accused of firing a gun on the school grounds of a Toledo elementary school pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Vanessa Hutchen is facing the following charges which include improperly discharging a firearm at a school, illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance or of an object indistinguishable from a firearm in a school safety zone, and inducing panic.

Hutchen, 35, turned herself in on August 19, after a Toledo elementary school was temporarily locked down on August 16. Police say she shot a gun on school grounds.

According to a spokesperson with Toledo Public Schools, two parents got into an altercation at Arlington Elementary, and Hutchen allegedly fired a shot into the air from a vehicle and fled the scene. No one was injured.

It happened around 3:30 p.m., shortly after school dismissal time. TPS said most students were already gone at that time, but those who remained on school grounds were told to stay in the building for a temporary lockdown until Toledo Police were able to clear the scene.

A judge set bond at Supervised Own Recognizance on all counts with the added condition of no direct/indirect victim contact and no weapons.

Hutchen is set to appear in court again on Dec. 5, 2022 at 9 a.m.

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