Ind. Mom Allegedly Brought Gun to School, Then Sent 'Threatening Messages' to Her Daughter's Teacher Over Assignment: Police

Carrie Rivers, 48, was charged with possession of a firearm on school property on Friday, April 11

An Indiana mother was charged with a felony after she allegedly brought a gun to her daughter's elementary school and threatened her child’s teacher, according to court records viewed by PEOPLE.

On Friday, April 11, Carrie Rivers, 48, was charged with possession of a firearm on school property and harassment in connection to an incident at Valley Mills Elementary School in Indianapolis.

On Wednesday, April 9, Decatur Township School Police Department officers responded to a call that an "irate parent" was on campus, per NBC News. Upon arrival, the officers saw that Rivers had something that resembled a firearm in her waistband.

Rivers allegedly threatened her daughter's sixth-grade teacher over "a work assignment that had to do with same-sexuality relationships," according to an affidavit, per NBC News. The teacher, who has a photo of her wife and daughter on her desk, told authorities she "gave an assignment to the whole class with the subject matter of flags," one of which was the rainbow pride flag.

Rivers accused the teacher of "trying to push her personal agenda in regard to sexuality on her daughter," the affidavit said. However, the teacher said she allowed the student to skip the assignment.

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"Carrie Rivers stated that she did have a gun as I was removing it from her person," police officer Tabetha Emenaker wrote in the affidavit, per NBC News. "I advised Carrie Rivers on the law in regard to having a firearm on school premises and that it was an arrestable offense. She understood and stated that she didn't even realize that she had it on because she is so used to wearing it and has been on school property with it before."

Rivers then said she was taking her daughter out of Valley Mills Elementary. She also called the teacher a lesbian slur, police said.

Authorities let Rivers go, but the mother allegedly sent the teacher threatening messages 25 minutes later that included “God will condemn you to hell," per the affidavit reviewed by NBC News.

"Say ur prayers and kiss ur kids goodbye and goodnight u never know when god says its (sic) our time so be prepared,” Rivers allegedly wrote. In another message, she alleged the teacher is a child predator who tells "precious innocent kids that it's ok to be in same sex relationships."

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"No threats were made against students or staff at that time. The police suspected that the parent had possession of a concealed handgun on her person and escorted her out of the building. At that point, they took possession of the weapon from the parent without incident outside the school. The parent stated that she forgot to remove the handgun before arriving on school property," the district said in a statement, per WTHR.

The statement also noted that once aware of "harassing and threatening messages," an arrest warrant was issued, and Rivers is not permitted on campus again.

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Rivers' husband, Leon Rivers, told NBC News his wife meant no harm and she carries a firearm as "security around all the time" and "forgot to leave it" behind when she rushed into school.

"We see [other parents] bring guns into the school all the time, just to drop kids off," Leon Rivers told the outlet. "I mean, you know, just coming and dropping the kids off and walking back out, like, for three seconds. They park in the front, drop the kid off, walk them in and walk right back out."

Representatives for the Decatur Township School Police Department and the Valley Mills Elementary School did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Tuesday.