A Missouri man has admitted to threatening someone with a firearm in the parking lot of a St. Louis early childhood education center. Leslie Wilkes, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in a school zone in U.S. District Court.
Wilkes admitted that on May 5, 2023, he became embroiled in a dispute with the father of a student at the center, located on Raymond Avenue. Wilkes, who was the boyfriend of the student’s mother, threatened the school’s principal, stating that if the child was released to the father, the center would “have problems and he would be there every day.” He also directly threatened to shoot the father.
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Upon arriving at the scene, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers instructed Wilkes to drop his weapon before taking him into custody. Wilkes was carrying a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 semiautomatic pistol. He told officers he had grabbed the gun because of an injured hand, claiming he couldn’t physically fight the father.
Wilkes is scheduled for sentencing on June 17, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nauman Wadalawala is prosecuting the case.
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