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       NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A mother who pleaded guilty to charges related to her 6-year-old son’s shooting of a local elementary school teacher will remain free while awaiting sentencing after a judge Thursday declined to jail her for failing drug tests.

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       U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller said he thought the fact that Deja Taylor, 26, tested clean for drugs earlier this month indicated she could remain drug-free until her Oct. 18 sentencing on federal charges connected to the January classroom shooting. Amid national anxiety over gun violence in schools, the incident received widespread attention, especially given the shooter’s young age.

       In declining a prosecutor’s request for Taylor to be jailed, Miller warned her to steer clear of illicit substances.

       “I’m giving you credit for as far as you have come,” the judge said.

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       Taylor pleaded guilty in June to possessing a gun while using illegal drugs and lying about her marijuana use on a background check during the purchase of the handgun her son took from her purse and used to shoot 25-year-old first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner in her classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. Taylor was granted bond afterward.

       Lisa McKeel, an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, argued in court that Taylor should be held until her sentencing for testing positive for marijuana or cocaine on three occasions and missing drug tests in violation of the terms of her release.

       “This is not just one instance of her making a mistake,” McKeel said. “It is repeated mistakes over a period of time.”

       Taylor’s attorney, James Ellenson, argued that she had not received adequate mental health or drug counseling and that jailing her would exacerbate her issues.

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       “She has been smoking pot for 10 years,” Ellenson said. “She has mental health issues. This is the first time any of these are being addressed.”

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       The development is the latest twist in the ongoing case. The Newport News schools’ superintendent was removed after the shooting, and Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit accusing a Richneck assistant principal of failing to heed multiple warnings that the boy had a gun.

       How Richneck elementary failed to stop a 6-year-old from shooting his teacher

       In filings before the revocation hearing, Taylor did not dispute that she used drugs, but her attorneys said that Taylor’s probation officers were pleased with her progress, that she had abstained from drugs since her positive tests and that she has been attending counseling sessions.

       Federal prosecutors previously wrote in court filings that Taylor admitted to being a marijuana user for 11 years and that authorities discovered a large amount of the drug and drug paraphernalia when searching her car and residences after the shooting.

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       In a separate case in state court, Taylor pleaded guilty to one count of felony child neglect in connection with the shooting as part of a deal with prosecutors. She admitted the gun was stored in such a way that her son could access it. The terms of the plea deal call for Taylor to receive up to six months of state incarceration, in addition to her federal term when she is sentenced by a Virginia judge on Oct. 27, although the judge could depart from the agreement.

       Taylor’s son took the gun, which was stored without a lock, from her purse and stowed it in his backpack before heading to school on Jan. 6. Prosecutors said the boy had gotten hold of the gun in the past as well.

       Zwerner alleges in her lawsuit that the boy showed the gun to a fellow student and that staff members repeatedly warned assistant principal Ebony Parker the boy might have a weapon throughout the day on Jan. 6. Parker and her attorney have not responded to requests for comment.

       The boy pulled out the handgun and shot Zwerner while she was teaching a lesson as the school day was nearing an end. Zwerner was gravely injured by the bullet, which struck her hand and shoulder. She is still recovering.

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