Royal Palm Beach High teacher charged with bringing gun, knife to campus
ROYAL BEACH BEACH — A Royal Palm Beach High School teacher is facing criminal charges after school district police say he brought a loaded handgun and a knife to campus Thursday.
Officers took Robert Krasnicki into custody after learning he was in possession in of a 9 mm handgun and a pocket knife that had a 3 1/2-inch long blade, according to his arrest report.
Circuit Judge Kirk Volker on Friday granted the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office a temporary order to remove Krasnicki's weapons under Florida's red flag law, passed in 2018 in response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. It allows the removal of weapons when law-enforcement agencies believe a person may be a threat to themselves or others.
Volker scheduled a hearing for Monday to show proof that the weapons were surrendered. A final hearing regarding the risk protection order is scheduled for Jan. 31. Krasnicki's arrest report indicates he has been dealing with a possible mental health issue and was taken to a hospital for a voluntary evaluation.
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Police discovered weapons while asking teacher about motorcycle
Krasnicki, 42, teaches math at Royal Palm Beach, according to school district records. Volker set his bail at $20,000 on two counts of possessing a weapon on school property, which is a felony in Florida.
Volker named the Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office to represent Krasnicki. It does not comment on open cases as a matter of policy. Krasnicki posted bail Friday afternoon and was released from custody, jail records show.
Investigators say the situation began at about 9 a.m. Thursday when an assistant principal notified school police about a motorcycle blocking the campus' north gate. A check of the vehicle's registration revealed it belonged to Krasnicki.
According to the report, officers police were speaking to Krasnicki when they learned of the gun and the knife. Both weapons were immediately confiscated and Krasnicki was arrested and driven to the Palm Beach County Jail.
Krasnicki reportedly told officers he was dealing with a personal issue and that he had driven the motorcycle to school after another person had tampered with the brakes on his car. According to the arrest report, he also made a statement indicating someone was monitoring him through his phone.
Principal: 'Possession of weapons on School District property is a felony'
In a message sent to parents Thursday, Royal Palm Beach Principal Michelle Fleming said that Krasnicki made no threats against either students or staff, but added that "possession of weapons on School District property is a felony and a violation of the District's Zero Tolerance Policy."
School district records show the district hired Krasnicki in February 2016. In 2018, The Palm Beach Post interviewed him regarding a robotics competition between high school students at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
“This teaches them so many things you can’t learn in a textbook,” Krasnicki said about the South Florida FIRST Robotics competition.
The Palm Beach County School District did not immediately respond to a question regarding Krasnicki's employment status. However, Fleming said in her message to parents that he will not be returning to the school.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County teacher charged with bringing gun, knife to campus