Sioux Falls high school custodian sentenced for hiding gun in bathroom ceiling tile

A Sioux Falls man accused of hiding a gun in the ceiling of a Sioux Falls high school in August has been sentenced to time in jail.

Joseph Jay Croal in October pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm on school premises and making a false report to authorities after he was accused of hiding a Ruger handgun in a men's restroom ceiling at the Career and Technical Education Academy in August.

Croal, 26, was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Sara Pokela to 180 days in jail, with credit for 37 days served. He was ordered to do 40 hours of community service, and he cannot go on any Sioux Falls School District property without advanced authorization and an escort.

Croal had been working at CTE since 2016, school officials said. Sioux Falls School District Superintendent Brian Maher at the time of Croal's arrest said that if the allegations against Croal were verifiable, his employment with the district would be terminated. Croal's employment was ended Aug. 27, according to school board meeting minutes.

More:Read the court documents detailing how a gun was found at a Sioux Falls school

Trending Now:NWS: Heavy snow possible in winter storm

Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services James Nold submitted a letter to the court in September asking that Croal be barred from going on school property, saying Croal's actions had a "significant impact on the school district and our community." 

More than 100 hours of human resources time was required to "ascertain the situation, ensure the safety of students and cooperate with a police investigation," Nold wrote. 

Numerous students were involved in an investigation following the incident. The investigation included verbal questioning and handing over physical evidence for DNA testing. Most students and parents were cooperative, Nold wrote, but some were "furious over the implied accusations." 

The incident also deterred a few students from attending school the Monday after the gun was found (on a Friday), negatively impacting their education, Nold wrote. 

"What Joe's ultimate intent was, we will never know," Nold wrote. 

According to court documents:

Croal said he found the gun in a vehicle at the CTE Academy auto shop. Croal said he then panicked because he had touched the gun, so he put it in a garbage can, which he took to the men's restroom. He then put it in the ceiling. 

Croal told a coworker he found bullets in the men's bathroom and called the principal of the school, who told him to put the bullets in his office and do a thorough search of the school. Croal then "discovered" the .22-caliber long rifle Ruger MK III.

Police interviewed about 30 students and faculty who had used the men's bathroom. It wasn't until Croal took a polygraph at the Law Enforcement Center on Sunday that police learned Croal was allegedly the person who put the gun in the bathroom ceiling.

Court documents do not specify how the gun got into the vehicle on campus or to whom the car belongs. 

More Top Local Stories:

Most Sioux Falls students aren't ready for college, state accountability report shows

Police investigating infant's life-threatening brain injury

Hunting season’s underbelly: Stripping, sex trafficking and small towns looking the other way