The father arrested for bringing a gun into the parking lot of a southeast Charlotte elementary school says he was simply trying to protect his family.

"I hope any father would do what I did," said Michael Willis. "I would do anything to protect my daughter."

Willis was charged earlier this week with one felony count of possession of a weapon on educational property. He has a concealed weapons permit, but state law does not allow weapons to be carried on school property.

Willis tells NewsChannel 36 his wife searched through the text messages of their 14-year-old daughter and found several messages from a man allegedly trying to sell their daughter drugs.

Willis and his wife set up a sting to catch that man. They followed him down Endhaven Lane and stopped him just a few feet onto the property at Endhaven Elementary.

Willis says he got out of his car while his wife called 911.

When police arrived, they charged the other man, 32-year-old Fidel Irachetta, with one count of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. They also charged Willis with carrying a gun.

Willis admits to bringing the gun, but he said he never planned to use it, and only brought it for self-defense.

"I was afraid -- afraid for our safety, for my wife's safety. I was afraid," he said.

CMPD investigators tell NewsChannel 36 that Willis was armed with a Ruger .380. They are trying to determine if Willis planned to use the gun or if he thought the other man might be armed. Police say Willis was carrying the gun in his pocket when he confronted Irachetta, but he had placed the gun back in the car by the time police arrived.

Willis admits some mistakes.

"It was a bad judgment call to let him turn into that school, and if I could have stopped him, I would have. I tried," he told NewsChannel 36.

But he also says, he would do it again to defend his daughter.

"I am just a father who cares. I'm not a criminal, and I shouldn't be treated like one," Willis said.

Police are continuing to investigate. They say more charges may be filed against Irachetta.

Detectives also say the gun was never waved or displayed, and that students at Endhaven Elementary were at minimal risk because they were all inside the school at the time of the incident.