CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP) - A Virginia man has been convicted of leaving a loaded firearm near his young son, who accidentally shot himself in the hand.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Monday that the case is one of the first to be prosecuted under a new Virginia law that boosts the penalty for “recklessly” leaving guns near children.
Radell J. Bolden, 36, of Chesterfield, was sentenced to a year in jail with all 12 months suspended. Bolden also got 24 hours of community service. He must forfeit his gun and complete a firearm safety class.
Bolden told authorities he was cleaning his firearm and left it on his dresser when he went to the bathroom, prosecutors said. Bolden said his son, 8, was not in the bedroom at the time. But a short time later, Bolden said he heard a gunshot and found his son suffering from a hand wound, prosecutors said.
Bolden is said to be one of the first people charged under a new state law that makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to leave a loaded, unsecured firearm around children under 14 in a manner that endangers their life or safety.
The old state law for the crime was a Class 3 misdemeanor that carried a fine of up to $250 but no jail time.
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