yesterday my husbands step brother got in LOTS of trouble...he is 18 and a sr in high school....it all started cuz one of his friends had an airsoft gun and was waving out of the window of my BIL truck..someone saw and reported it which resulted in him being pulled over and his truck being searched...he didnt get in trouble for the gun but he did get in trouble for a knife they found which was over 6 inches long...he had the knife in his truck because he works at a local grocery store and he was going to take it to work so they could sharpen it for him...what i think is so wrong is he is a very good kid...he is a typical teenage boy trying to graduate so he can make a good life for his 6 month old son...he has never been in any serious trouble with the law... but they are trying to charge him with a 3rd degree felony and what irritates me the most is they are trying to kick him out of school..they are saying he cant go back to school until he goes to court...to me technically he was with wrong people wrong time and wasnt doing anything wrong...everyone is so mad at him and i actually feel bad i dont think he should be charged with a felony and he dont need to be kicked out of school....what do you guys think?
thanks guys for your in put! as of right now they have suspended him until monday then he has aep then on monday is his expulsion hearing and his dad is an ex cop well known and respected man and many good lawyers have stepped up and said to have them as the court appointed attorney :) we are hoping he gets everything dropped
It doesn't really matter what any of US think, does it? Perhaps a good first lesson in NOT being in the wrong place at the wrong time?
At 5 years old my kindergartner told my hubby to take off his Gerber before he went onto the school. At 7 he told me he coud be kicked out for knives on the school grounds and Daddy shouldn't come to school, he's a Marine and sometimes wears a gun, because Daddy would get arrested.
You're husband's step brother knew exactly what he was doing and that he was breaking the law by bringing the knife onto campus. Nowadays there are zero tolerance policies about this for good reasons, good kid or not.
I am sorry he chose to do this. He knew better.
The problem is legal responsibility. If he were in a car with those same friends and , while he waited in the car, some of them robbed a store...legally he'd be just as guilty. He did have possession of an illegal length knife so he's kind of stuck there.Now is probably a good time to talk to him about his choices in friends.
As for the school aspect, how did the school become aware of this? Unless he was on campus, I don't see that it concerns them in any way. If I were you, I'd check the state and district guidelines to see if they address this with any policy about not allowing students convicted of a felony to attend or anything like that. If there isn't one, I'd ask to have a time slot allocated and go before the school board. Have the kiddo tell his story and explain his actions and hopefully they will give him a chance.
I'm really ticked that they'd kick him out since the felony in no way endangered students.
I understand what you are saying.
Look at it this way for a minute: there is so much concern these days about violence in schools and on the streets that rules have to be firm. They have to make stiff laws because those laws are a deterrent all by themselves. If it's against the law to carry certain weapons, then the boy has done something against the law. Even if he meant nothing by it, there he is.
And the law cracks down especially on teens because teens are so doggone good at making bad decisions. The schools have to do the same with their rules.
But your husband's stepbrother isn't the first teenage boy to run afoul of the law without intending to. He needs a good lawyer, and he needs adults from the school and elsewhere to vouch for his character in court. And he needs family members and friends to encourage him and help him through this so he learns something good from it and is more mature by the end of the experience. I hope all goes well!
When I was living in Texas in 2003, a boy was expelled from his senior year after someone turned him in for having his knife in the vehicle after hunting that weekend. The two lawyers told them he was out of luck, it was school property, and the rules were zero tolerance. He did get a GED, a college degree, and a good job. It did not ruin his life.
I wanted his family to sue the school because the reason he got turned in was he told the truth when they were all caught with alcohol. The principal and superintendent's kid got a MIP(minor in possession) along with him. They had wanted him to say it was his truck and his alcohol, even though they brought it from the superintendent's home. A bunch of us offered to pay for the lawyer, but they were told it would not change a thing. I hated how certain kids got a free pass and others they threw the book at.
Still, if you can get the money, get a lawyer and try to fight it.
Sounds pretty extreme. Hopefully he has a good lawyer that can point out his good record. Kids do stupid things. I try to tell my kids what you do today could affect you forever so think first! Sorry you all have to go through this!
I agree with you that his intentions were innocent, but he was with the wrong people at the wrong time. But, we need to be aware that our decisions have consequences. I don't think that he should be prosecuted so severely, but I have no experience with the law. Get him a good lawyer who can argue his case, that he is a good kid with a clean record. They may be able to reduce the charge and have him do some community service, or drop it all together. As far as the school is concerned, they have to follow policy. Maybe they will agree to let him do his schoolwork at home while the court thing plays out so he won't be so behind if he's able to go back. Good luck!
