Mint Hill Mom Charged With Felony After Gun Found in Car at School Drop-Off

A routine morning drop-off at Mint Hill Middle School turned into a felony arrest Thursday after police say one parent followed another off campus following a verbal fight, with a firearm ultimately found inside her vehicle. Officers charged 37-year-old Jodie Rinehart with felony possession of a weapon on educational property and communicating threats, according to Mint Hill Police.

The confrontation began as a verbal altercation between two parents on school grounds during student drop-off, according to WCCB Charlotte. The victim told police that the other woman followed her off school property and made threatening gestures during the pursuit. WCCB reported that while the altercation itself was verbal, the firearm was never displayed on school grounds — instead, officers located it inside the suspect's vehicle after stopping her.

According to WSOC-TV, the victim flagged down an officer who was directing morning traffic near the school to report that she was being pursued by an armed driver. That officer was able to stop the suspect's vehicle directly behind the victim's car, according to the station's report. Police confirmed the dispute began on school grounds before spilling onto nearby roads. No other passengers were present at the time of the arrest.

Both Drivers Were School Parents, Principal Tells Families

Principal Nakia Gamble sent a message to families confirming that both women involved were parents of students at Mint Hill Middle School, and that all students and staff on campus were safe, per the same account from WSOC-TV. The message was reportedly issued shortly after police secured the scene.

A wrinkle has emerged in how the suspect is identified across official records. While Mint Hill Police publicly named the suspect as Jodie Rinehart, Mecklenburg County jail records reportedly list her under the name Jodie Abrams, and local media have noted the discrepancy while trying to confirm her legal name.

What the Felony Charge Means Under North Carolina Law

Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-269.2, possessing or carrying any firearm on public or private educational property — including campuses, grounds, and parking areas — is a Class I felony, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. A conviction can carry active prison time and a loss of firearm rights. The law does carve out a narrow exception: a handgun is permitted on educational property only if the owner holds a valid concealed handgun permit and keeps the weapon locked inside a closed container within a locked vehicle at all times, according to guidance published by Southeastern Community College. Removing or brandishing the firearm voids that safe-harbor protection entirely.

Rinehart also faces a charge of communicating threats, a Class 1 misdemeanor under North Carolina General Statute § 14-277.1 that carries up to 120 days in jail, according to the Manning Law Firm. Prosecutors must show that a reasonable person would believe the threat of physical harm was likely to be carried out, and the statute covers threats made verbally, in writing, or through gestures. A 2024 North Carolina Court of Appeals ruling, State v. Radomski, found that prosecuting firearms kept in vehicles on state-owned property under G.S. 14-269.2 can face Second Amendment challenges when a location's primary function is non-educational, the firm noted, reflecting heightened judicial scrutiny of campus gun bans since the U.S. Supreme Court's Bruen decision.

A Broader Push to Keep Guns Off CMS Campuses

Mint Hill Middle School, at 11501 Idlewild Road in eastern Mecklenburg County, serves more than 800 students in grades six through eight as part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, according to the district. CMS has reported a 93% reduction in campus firearm possession incidents in recent years, falling from 29 reported incidents during the 2021-22 school year to just three in 2024-25, a decline district officials attribute to enhanced security protocols and active threat monitoring. The district also logged more than 20.6 million student and visitor screenings through weapon detection scanners and random wanding across its facilities during the 2024-25 school year.

Thursday's arrest is the latest in a string of firearm-related incidents to touch Mint Hill this year. In April, Hoodline reported on a separate deadly shooting case involving a Mint Hill man held on a $1 million bond after gunfire struck his pregnant wife. It remains unclear when Rinehart is scheduled to appear in court.