Assistant principal accused of shooting a gun during a school break-in charged, police say

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) - A former assistant principal in North Carolina was charged recently, weeks after he allegedly fired a shot during a school break-in.

The break-in reportedly happened on May 25 at Hairston Middle School in Greensboro.

Greensboro police said the assistant principal, Charlie Wardell Smith, 54, told them he went to the school after getting a call about an alarm going off.

Once there, police said Smith claimed to have seen an intruder and fired a shot in the air to scare the intruder off.

Police said no students or other staff members were at the school.

Court records showed that a criminal summons charging Smith with discharging a weapon on educational property was served on June 30. He is scheduled to appear in Guilford County court on July 28.

Police confirmed that Smith has resigned since the incident.

It was unclear whether authorities had identified or arrested the alleged intruder at the school.