MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – Macomb County prosecutors have charged two parents and petitioned a student in connection with an investigation into firearms brought onto the campus of Merritt Academy last fall.
According to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began Oct. 11, 2025, after deputies learned a student had firearms in a vehicle parked at Merritt Academy two days earlier.
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Investigators said the student also made concerning statements to classmates that were reported to the student’s mother, Kendra Kneer, who was serving as the school’s dean of students at the time.
The sheriff’s office said its school resource officer assigned to Merritt Academy was not notified about the incident. Instead, investigators said Kendra Kneer kept the student in her office while checking the student’s vehicle for firearms.
Authorities allege the student’s father, William Kneer III, contacted a family friend to remove the firearms from the vehicle while it remained parked on school property.
The sheriff’s office said other Merritt Academy staff members later learned about the incident and notified law enforcement.
Following what officials described as an extensive investigation by the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office Youth Bureau, including multiple interviews and search warrants, investigators submitted charges to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office on Jan. 16, 2026.
William Kneer III was arraigned Monday in 42-2 District Court on two counts of firearms safe storage violations, each a 93-day misdemeanor.
Kendra Kneer was arraigned Monday in the same court on two counts of possessing a weapon in a weapon-free school zone and one count of a firearms safe storage violation. All three charges are 93-day misdemeanors.
The student was petitioned through the Macomb County Circuit Court Family Division on two counts of possessing a weapon in a weapon-free school zone, both 93-day misdemeanors.
Court records show bond was set at $500 for both William and Kendra Kneer.