An Atlantic County elementary school employee is on house arrest after she allegedly brought a loaded gun to work in her trunk following a domestic incident.
Pamela Puskar, 57, was working as a lunch aide at the Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School in Minotola, Buena Borough.
Police found a loaded gun in her trunk at the school Jan. 5, after she allegedly pointed the gun at her boyfriend what was described as a drunken domestic argument the night before.
Puskar is accused of threatening to kill her boyfriend, their dogs and herself as she pointed the gun at him inside their Buena Borough home Jan. 4.
She faces weapons offenses and a charge of terroristic threats.
"This is a sad set of circumstances," defense attorney Andrew Settle told the judge during a detention hearing last week.
It was eight years since Puskar's two sons died, he explained, and "alcohol played a large influence in what happened."
The defendant "had a temporary moment of insanity during this, Judge," Settle said. "After that 45-second period of time, it was over."
Puskar put the gun in her trunk before she went to work because she was concerned about her boyfriend having access to it following the argument the night before.
When it was discovered the gun was missing, the man called police, who went to the school.
Puskar allowed them to search the vehicle, where the gun was found in her trunk under a floor mat, Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Fischer said. There were two live rounds inside.
"The state's very concerned with the facts of this case," Fischer said.
Puskar has no criminal history, scoring the lowest possible score on her public safety assessment, which is used to help determine whether a defendant is held under bail reform.
The assessment still recommended she be detained because of the gun charge.
But Superior Court Judge Joseph Levin found that he could release her, under the highest level of oversight that includes a home electronic device.
The judge also said if the defendant got a mental health assessment, and a drug and alcohol assessment, the hearing could be reopened under a change of circumstances.
