Girl, 10, brings steak knife to school for self defense, deputies say

MARATHON, Fla. – A 10-year-old girl brought a steak knife to school Friday in Marathon, and she showed it to other students in the cafeteria saying she planned on using it if an armed attacker entered the school, according to the Monroe Sheriff's Office. 

Sheriff's Office School Resource Officer Robert Bulnes found the knife in the fifth-grade Stanley Switlik Elementary School student's backpack and released her to the custody of her parents.

"I'm grateful this young girl did not threaten anyone and that did not appear to be her intent," Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement. "I'm also grateful to report that the incident was handled jointly with our law enforcement and community partners."

Prosecutors are charging her with possession of a weapon on school grounds. Deputies said the girl did not threaten anyone with the knife.