Article content continued

Calling it “a very exceptional case,” Chapman told the Citizen on Monday that her client’s medical state is such that, “he’s not going to be teaching anymore.”

“It’s a very tragic case … it really is,” said Chapman, retained by Evans’s brother Lang, who holds the teacher’s power of attorney and contacted Chapman after finding out about the college proceeding late last month from news reports. The college’s legal team told the disciplinary panel Oct. 22 that Laird Evans had initially been made aware that a hearing would be held, but several attempts to contact him more recently had been unsuccessful.

Ottawa police were called into Hillcrest on May 27, 2010, after Evans fell ill and school staff stumbled on a cache of firearms that had been stashed in a school storage room used for stage props. Nineteen firearms were found, as well as ammunition. Although most were deactivated or were very realistic replicas, one was a functional rifle dating back to the Second World War and another was a deactivated Uzi submachine-gun with a functional 32-round magazine. Students told staff that Evans had been teaching them how to disassemble a rifle and clean it before putting it away with the others.

As a result of the find, Evans, represented by Chapman, pleaded guilty in July 2011 to possession of an unlicensed firearm, received a conditional discharge and saw three other charges withdrawn. At the time Evans told the court that he had meant no malice toward his students and was trying to teach them safe handling of theatre props. Although more replica guns, along with real bullets and tins of grenade powder, were found at the school in January 2012 during a room cleanout, no further charges were laid, the teachers’ college hearing was told.

Former students have spoken out in support of Evans after news reports about his misconduct hearing. In a letter to the Citizen, former student Melissa Nihmey said that although Evans should not have had guns at school, he “never intended to cause harm” and was “a great teacher.” Others described him on the website Rate My Teacher as “inspiring,” dedicated and “one of the few” who really took the time to connect with students.

Evans’s family, through his lawyer, declined to comment further about the case.