Student writes essay, arrested by police

[LiveStrongSkins]

The country is on high alert after the massacre at Virginia Tech. Everyone was pointing fingers at certain teachers saying something should have been done when Cho was showing warning signs. This school covered their bases. Everyone at the school would have been "negligent" if he came back and shot up the school a week later. Cant have your cake and eat it too.

[Johnny Punani]

I'm sure the kid won't spend a single night in jail.

The plea bargain will be a little bit of counseling, and it's expunged from the record. If the kids clean, he's out the time he had to go to a couple of sessions.

If he's not, then in a roundabout, overreactionary way, it worked......

Why do you need to plea bargain a crime you didn't commit?

[LiveStrongSkins]

This guy is a straight A student who seems to hvae the support of the student body. Clearly a different situation. Also the grounds for arrest are suspect.

We are studying suicide now in emergency medical courses. Being a straight A student is completely irrelevent when evaluating things like this. Alot of times it is the pressure one puts on himself to be a straight A student that causes one to think about suicide. It's why officials at William and Mary were very concerned about the suicides that took place on that campus over the last decade. Most of all t hose kids are straight A students. It's better to get him in custody have him evaluated then let him go later. To me, its due dilligence.

[Beaudry]

Why do you need to plea bargain a crime you didn't commit?

Until you actually read what was written, you don't know if he committed a crime or not.

[Johnny Punani]

Until you actually read what was written, you don't know if he committed a crime or not.

I don't need to because the crime of disorderly conduct has nothing to do with stuff like this.

[SkinInsite]

Until you actually read what was written, you don't know if he committed a crime or not.

What can you write that could get you arrested? Even Cho's writing wouldn't/shouldn't have gotten him arrested.

[rincewind]

What can you write that could get you arrested?

A ransom note.

[Beaudry]

A ransom note.

Exactly. Or a death threat.

[SkinInsite]

Exactly. Or a death threat.

Then 95% of all political bloggers would have been arrested long time ago.

[HOF44]

Exactly. Or a death threat.

Here is the law in VA it would fall under if it were a threat to a person. To me he has to name someone specificaly for this to apply. So it would hinge on the contenet of the letter.

From this quote in the article this would not apply.

"Allen Lee, an 18-year-old straight-A student at Cary-Grove High School, was arrested Tuesday near his home and charged with disorderly conduct for an essay police described as violently disturbing but not directed toward any specific person or location."

Harassment

Sec. 18.2-60. Threats of death or bodily injury to a person or member of his family; threats to commit serious bodily harm to persons on school property; penalty. Amended 2002.

A. 1. Any person who knowingly communicates, in a writing, including an electronically transmitted communication producing a visual or electronic message, a threat to kill or do bodily injury to a person, regarding that person or any member of his family, and the threat places such person in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily injury to himself or his family member, is guilty of a Class 6 felony. However, any person who violates this subsection with the intent to commit an act of terrorism as defined in ? 18.2-46.4 is guilty of a Class 5 felony.

2. Any person who communicates a threat, in a writing, including an electronically transmitted communication producing a visual or electronic message, to kill or do bodily harm, (i) on the grounds or premises of any elementary, middle or secondary school property, (ii) at any elementary, middle or secondary school-sponsored event or (iii) on a school bus to any person or persons, regardless of whether the person who is the object of the threat actually receives the threat, and the threat would place the person who is the object of the threat in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily harm, is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

B. Any person who orally makes a threat to any employee of any elementary, middle or secondary school, while on a school bus, on school property or at a school-sponsored activity, to kill or to do bodily injury to such person, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

A prosecution pursuant to this section may be either in the county, city or town in which the communication was made or received.

___________________________________________

*edit*

Found the code for the City of Chicago. So that should not contradict IL law.

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/codes/chapter8_4.html

8-4-010 Disorderly conduct.

A person commits disorderly conduct when he knowingly: (a) Does any act in such unreasonable manner as to provoke, make or aid in making a breach of peace; or ( Does or make any unreasonable or offensive act, utterance, gesture or display which, under the circumstances, creates a clear and present danger of a breach of peace or imminent threat of violence; or © Refuses or fails to cease and desist any peaceful conduct or activity likely to produce a breach of peace where there is an imminent threat of violence, and where the police have made all reasonable efforts to protect the otherwise peaceful conduct and activity, and have requested that said conduct and activity be stopped and explained the request if there be time; or (d) Fails to obey a lawful order of dispersal by a person know by him to be a peace officer under circumstances where three or more persons are committing acts of disorderly conduct in the immediate vicinity, which acts are likely to cause substantial harm or serious inconvenience, annoyance or alarm; or (e) Assembles with three or more persons for the purpose of using force or violence to disturb the public peace; or (f) Goes about begging or soliciting funds on the public ways, except as provided in Chapter 10-8, Sections 10-8-110 through 10-8-170; or (g) Appears in any public place manifestly under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or other drug, not therapeutically administered, to the degree that he may endanger himself or other persons or property, or annoy persons in his vicinity; or (h) Carries in a threatening or menacing manner, without authority of law, any pistol, revolver, dagger, razor, dangerous knife, stiletto, knuckles, slingshot, an object containing noxious or deleterious liquid, gas or substance or other dangerous weapon, or conceals said weapon on or about the person or vehicle; or (i) Pickets or demonstrates on a public way within 150 feet of any primary or secondary school building while the school is in session and one-half hour before the school is in session and one-half hour after the school session has been concluded, provided that this subsection does not prohibit the peaceful picketing of any school involved in a labor dispute; or (j) Pickets or demonstrates on a public way within 150 feet of any church, temple, synagogue or other place of worship while services are being conducted and one-half hour before services are to be conducted and one-half hour after services have been concluded, provided that this subsection does not prohibit the peaceful picketing of any church, temple, synagogue or other place of worship involved in a labor dispute. A person convicted of disorderly conduct shall be fined not less than $5.00 nor more than $500.00 for each offense. (Prior code 193-1)

[DCsportsfan53]

I'm not one of those people who thought more should have been done with Cho. The kid fell through the cracks and that is sad. However in a free and open society there will always be cracks.

Overreacting to the VT tragedy does not honor those who died that day. In fact, I'd say it accomplishes the exact opposite.

:applause:

Completely agree.

[Blighty Skins]

What of he wrote something along the lines of assassinating the President? Wouldn't that be grounds for an arrest? I was under the impression you had a law against making a threat against his life.

[rincewind]

What of he wrote something along the lines of assassinating the President? Wouldn't that be grounds for an arrest? I was under the impression you had a law against making a threat against his life.

That would be a specific threat - according to the article, the writer made no such threat.

[HOF44]

What of he wrote something along the lines of assassinating the President? Wouldn't that be grounds for an arrest? I was under the impression you had a law against making a threat against his life.

That could be considered a crime. He named a specific individual.

[techboy]

Lets ignore the fact that NO jews were ever killed in Italy during World War 2.

Yes, let's. It's not true.

From Holocaust and Resistance in Italy:

When King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Benito Mussolini, the leader of the Italian fascist party, for the office of Prime Minister in October 1922, this marked the beginning of a period of discrimination, oppression and deportation to the death camps for the Italian Jews. This period lasted until 1943, when the Allies landed. During the 1930ies, when the about 50,000 Italian Jews did not yet have to fear repression, they were fully integrated into the Italian society. Starting from September 1938, when Mussolini published his ideas about "fascism and the race question", the Jewish population had to suffer repression, e.g. the extradition of all foreign Jews within six months or the exclusion of all Jewish teachers and students. The situation changed when Northern Italy was occupied by the Germans. In October and November 1943, many Jews, especially from the big North Italian cities and Rome were interned at transitory camps like Fossoli di Carpi (http://www.comune.carpi.mo.it/musei/sito/depo/framef.htm) and Bolzano (http://www.deportati.it/static/pdf/libri/testo_tedesco.pdf), from where they were deported to Auschwitz. There are varying figures about the numbers of Jews murdered, but it seems to be certain that a minimum of 40,000 Jews did not survive the Holocaust in Italy.

Emphasis mine.

The next time you're in Italy, you should visit the Jewish Ghetto in Rome. Many Jews spent much of World War II hiding in the Roman catacombs...

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I don't think it's fair to pass judgement on a school this soon after what happened at VA Tech.

It may turn out that they overreacted, but can anyone blame them? The teachers and administration have just watched over a week's worth of news about the killer and the warning signs and then a student writes something in an essay and they have to make a decision.

Again, without knowing what was written, you can't say if it was the right choice or the wrong choice...but I have a hard time blaming a school for making a quick decision like this and escalating it. All we've heard on CNN and other outlets is how this Cho kid should not have been walking the streets without help based on his papers, poems, etc.

[Henry]

I think now especially is the time to be especially careful about treading on the rights of citizens. Of course the country is raw over what just happened. That's the time we as a society are most vulnerable to abuse of power, and must therefore tread the most lightly.

[HOF44]

I think now especially is the time to be especially careful about treading on the rights of citizens. Of course the country is raw over what just happened. That's the time we as a society are most vulnerable to abuse of power, and must therefore tread the most lightly.

Everything you have posted about this I agree compeltly with. This is the time that some politicians will try to limit our personal freedoms and increase their power and control.

[headexplode]

Morgue's might be less full. You (all) are still missing the point that you cannot force a person to counseling without an arrest. And he'll most likely get a PBJ of he goes.

Basically your opinion allows a Cho scenerio to occur again. Kind of weird that you display the ribbon and take your stance.

Wow, I find this really insulting to anyone who chooses to show solidarity with the victims at VT. The fact of the matter is that the murderer was taken into custody and evaluated by a mental health professional and was deemed safe to be out on his own.

[rincewind]

Wow, I find this really insulting to anyone who chooses to show solidarity with the victims at VT.

Yeah, I found it pretty insulting too - especially since it was directed at me.

But I chose to take the higher ground and hope he didn't mean to sound as accusatory as he did.

[Blighty Skins]

Yes, let's. It's not true.

From Holocaust and Resistance in Italy:

Emphasis mine.

The next time you're in Italy, you should visit the Jewish Ghetto in Rome. Many Jews spent much of World War II hiding in the Roman catacombs...

Why don't you learn to read? What did I say? "NO JEWS WERE EVER EXECUTED IN ITALY". I said ITALY. And the fact remains, Italian Jews were deported because the were NO concentration camps in ITALY. So yes, if anything Mussolini could be accused of being Hitler's lapdog. And yes, the SS were operating in Italy, hence the reason why Italian authorities had to co-operate. Also why Mussolini thought Hitler a "madman", because he really couldn't care less about the jews, let alone care enough to kill them.

Something else. I know the history of Italy very well. As I said, my grandmother knew Mussolini personally, was employed by him. My grandfather was killed at the end of WW2...by partisans. My grandmother would never reveal who my grandfather was, but from what I've gathered he was a Colonel in the fascist army. So I know what I'm talking about, mate.

When did Benito come into power? I bet you don't even know. In 1922. Were the Jews persecuted in Italy from 1922? So from 1922, the year Mussolini came to power in Italy, he never persecuted 1 jew. As soon as he sides, or is about to side, with Hitler, Jews are persecuted.

So the only person who should be researching this subject is yourself. I lived near Rome. I know the catacombs. Do you think people could hide in the catacombs without anyone knowing? They are a publicly accessible place. The only people who didn't know were the Germans.

p.s. And the article you quoted was badly written...from a German website. Unbiased? :doh:

[SkinInsite]

So instead of fighting evil he just turned a blind eye to it, a great man that Mussolini.

[headexplode]

Why don't you learn to read? What did I say? "NO JEWS WERE EVER EXECUTED IN ITALY". I said ITALY. And the fact remains, Italian Jews were deported because the were NO concentration camps in ITALY. So yes, if anything Mussolini could be accused of being Hitler's lapdog. And yes, the SS were operating in Italy, hence the reason why Italian authorities had to co-operate. Also why Mussolini thought Hitler a "madman", because he really couldn't care less about the jews, let alone care enough to kill them.

Something else. I know the history of Italy very well. As I said, my grandmother knew Mussolini personally, was employed by him. My grandfather was killed at the end of WW2...by partisans. My grandmother would never reveal who my grandfather was, but from what I've gathered he was a Colonel in the fascist army. So I know what I'm talking about, mate.

When did Benito come into power? I bet you don't even know. In 1922. Were the Jews persecuted in Italy from 1922? So from 1922, the year Mussolini came to power in Italy, he never persecuted 1 jew. As soon as he sides, or is about to side, with Hitler, Jews are persecuted.

So the only person who should be researching this subject is yourself. I lived near Rome. I know the catacombs. Do you think people could hide in the catacombs without anyone knowing? They are a publicly accessible place. The only people who didn't know were the Germans.

p.s. And the article you quoted was badly written...from a German website. Unbiased? :doh:

This has to be one of the most ignorant series of letters and sentences and paragraphs ever assembled in the English language.

[Mooka]

I remember in elementary school my best friend got in big trouble because he wrote a story about blowing up the school. He went to the principles office and was suspended for a day, I remember we weren't allowed to chill for a long time. His parents were PISSED.

Pretty sure he wasn't arrested though . I remember his mom though, I'm surprised he didn't ask to be arrested so he could hide in jail.

[Blighty Skins]

So instead of fighting evil he just turned a blind eye to it, a great man that Mussolini.

Evil is a matter of opinion. And I didn't say he was a "great man". He was good for his people.

You only see it the way you want to. The reason Mussolini came into power (and later Hitler) is the same reason you Americans were fighting the Cold War for 60 years. Yes, Communism. Russian Revolution 1918, the other end of the spectrum (extreme right) Mussolini comes into power in 1922 to save Italy from communism. It's still strong there even today. So what would you have preferred? A communist Europe? You can;t have your cake and eat it.

And right, Mussolini should've fought Hitler so they'd just sweep into Italy like they did France. As it went, it went well for you Americans...cos if Hitler had invaded Italy and Mussolini wasn't an ally, coming up through Sicily you would've found a lot more resistance. The reason the Germans weren't strong in Italy? Because they were allies.

Use your brain. :doh: