GUILDERLAND — An investigation following the recovery of a loaded pistol at Crossgates Mall in 2021 led to an arrest this week of a Guilderland teacher.

On March 20, Guilderland Police charged Akili-Abdul Duncan, age 53, of 5 Villa Ave. in Albany with second-degree possession of a weapon, according to a release from the police.

The next day, on March 21, Duncan was charged again with a felony by the Rensselaer Police, this time for possession of a .380 caliber pistol during what Detective Sergeant Mike Deso described as “a domestic incident.”

Both police agencies said Duncan does not have a state pistol permit.

Deso told The Enterprise that the two incidents were entirely unrelated and involved two different guns, although Rensselaer and Guilderland police talked with one another about their cases.

Rensselaer Police, he said, used the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a “clearing house” to check the gun manufacturer.

The incident in Renselaer occurred last December, Deso said; Duncan was not on the scene when police arrived but his weapon was recovered, he said.

“Oftentimes, when people know police are showing up, they leave,” said Deso.

Investigation, including interviews, led to the arrest, he said.

Duncan was arraigned in Guilderland Town Court by Judge Margaet Tabak, where bail was set, and he was remanded to Albany County’s jail, the Guilderland Police release said.

Deso said Duncan made bail and then turned himself in to Rensselaer Police.

He was then arraigned in the City of Rensselaer Court by Judge Heather Dukes and remanded to the Rensselaer County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail, 50,000 insurance company bail bond, or 50,000 partially secured surety bond. 

On Friday evening, Deso said, “So he’s either in the Rensselaer jail now or out on bail.”

Duncan is listed by the Guilderland school district as a technology-education teacher at Farnsworth Middle School.

On March 21, Superintendent Marie Wiles wrote a message to Guilderland families, posted to the district’s website, saying Guilderland Police had informed the district of the arrest on March 20. Wiles’s missive does not name the teacher.

“Upon learning of the arrest,” Wiles writes, “the Guilderland Central School District placed the employee on administrative leave and revoked his access to all GCSD buildings.”

She goes on, “The employee was hired by Guilderland in August 2022 and underwent a rigorous review process. This includes the required New York State Department of Education fingerprinting and background check, which the employee cleared at the time without issue.”

Wiles concludes, “We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a safe and emotionally supportive learning environment for the children at Farnsworth Middle School and all of our students.”