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A Suffolk Public Schools teacher is being held on 12 felony counts of making straw purchases of firearms.

Suffolk Police arrested Jennifer Nicole McDonald-Awolowo Friday, April 6 for making multiple purchases of firearms and providing them to another person not eligible to make such buys, according to a department news release.

The investigation began when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives notified investigators within the Suffolk Police Department’s Neighborhood Enforcement Team about multiple suspicious firearm transactions.

The preliminary investigation revealed that McDonald-Awolowo purchased more than a dozen firearms and provided them to an individual who was prohibited from purchasing firearms.  

McDonald-Awolowo was arrested on 12 felony counts of purchasing a firearm and providing it to an ineligible person, police said Friday afternoon. She is being held at Western Tidewater Regional Jail without bond.

The investigation remains ongoing at this time. Police said there is no further information available for release.