A 33-year-old Woodbridge woman is facing charges after police say she confronted a 13-year-old boy over damaged property and then pulled a handgun on him during the argument — just minutes after she had driven onto the grounds of Rippon Middle School with the gun sitting in her vehicle. Whitney Jenay Kelley was arrested Wednesday following the investigation into the confrontation, which unfolded in the 14900 block of Enterprise Drive.
According to Daily Voice, the boy was standing in that block at about 3:29 p.m. when Kelley approached him and began questioning him about damaged personal property. The disagreement escalated quickly: police say Kelley retrieved a firearm from her vehicle and brandished it during the argument. No shots were fired, and no injuries were reported, according to the same report.
What makes the episode especially unsettling to investigators is the timeline leading up to it. Detectives determined that Kelley had driven onto the grounds of Rippon Middle School with the firearm in her vehicle shortly before the confrontation, after picking up her child from the school, according to school officials cited in a FOX 5 DC report. The gun, per detectives, was brought onto school property inside her car but was not brandished until she was off campus and confronting the boy.
Her Own Children Were in the Car
Investigators say Kelley's two children — a 12-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl — were sitting in her vehicle during the entire confrontation. The same report notes that police separately allege Kelley made threatening statements directed at the school's resource officer on a different occasion, though authorities have not detailed when that happened or what was said.
Rippon Middle School went into a secure-the-building status after dismissal because of the nearby police response, according to the report. Kristan Wilburn sent a letter to families Monday addressing the incident, writing that the firearm was brought onto school grounds in a vehicle but brandished off campus. “We understand that any incident involving a weapon can be concerning to our families,” Wilburn wrote, adding that “the safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority.” Wilburn also thanked the Prince William County Police Department for its response and its continued efforts to help keep schools and the community safe.
Charges and What's Still Unresolved
Charges and What's Still Unresolved FOX 5 DC and Daily Voice report that Kelley was charged with one count of brandishing, one count of possession of a weapon on school property, two counts of child neglect, and one count of obstruction of justice. Authorities have not detailed the nature of the damaged property that triggered the initial argument. Kelley's custody status and next court appearance were both reported as pending as of Monday.
Not the First Scare Near Rippon Middle
This is not the first time a weapon has surfaced near the Woodbridge campus. In a separate incident, a 20-year-old Woodbridge man, Durante Arye Meza, was arrested outside Rippon Middle School while armed with a rifle and shotgun, according to InsideNoVA. Police said the suspect fired at least one shotgun round into the air on school grounds, prompting both Rippon Middle and nearby Featherstone Elementary to go into secure-the-building mode. In another Woodbridge case, a 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged after bringing multiple weapons into Potomac High School, with WRIC reporting that no shots were fired in that incident and the teen was charged with three counts of possessing a weapon on school property and one count of brandishing.
