Eagle Scout honor student expelled from school after forgetting gun locked in truck

[LordBrownTrout]

I rode to high school with a buddy who had his rifles hanging on the gun rack in the back window. Principal even commented on how he liked one of the rifles.

 

[Wyatt earp]

and just thinking outside the box.... I just want to know why we are not given a rule book or something every year when we file are taxes...... is it that hard? oh yea thats why we need lawyers for....we have the net now. but still rules change every year.

 

[Noomi]

A senior at Princeton High School near Raleigh, NC has been permanently expelled from school.

His crime: He went skeet shooting the day before with some friends, safely unloaded and locked up his shotgun in his truck afterward, and then forgot it was there the next day when he drove to school.

Then he made his BIG mistake. Upon remembering the gun was in his (locked) truck, he knew he couldn't legally leave the school to drive it home and come back. So he quietly called his mother and asked her to come and pick it up.

The mistake? His call was overheard by some zero-tolerance fanatic at the school.

Question: Who did the wrong thing? And who broke the law?

BTW, as a result of this incident, this Eagle Scout has also been charged with a felony.

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Honors Student & Eagle Scout Charged with Felony and Expelled After Accidentally Leaving Shotgun in Truck

Honors Student & Eagle Scout Charged with Felony and Expelled After Accidentally Leaving Shotgun in Truck

May 1 2013

According to Todd Starnes of Fox News, Cole Withrow, an Eagle Scout, honors student, and active church member has had his life turned upside down.

The trouble began when Withrow discovered he had accidentally left his shotgun in his truck once he arrived at school. He had been skeet shooting with some friends the day before.

Withrow tried to immediately call his mother to come and pick up the firearm, but he was overheard by a school official.

Withrow told officials the truth about what happened. Then he was arrested and immediately and permanently expelled from school.

According to Fox News,

“He didn’t know what to do,” Boykin, whose son is friends with Withrow, told Fox News. “If you jump in the truck and leave, then they get you for skipping school. Once you are there you have to say.

“I think it’s an injustice for this young man,” she added. “He’s a good guy. He’s loved by his classmates and his teachers. You don’t become an Eagle Scout by being a bad seed.”

She said the school district is sending a very bad message to students.

“You teach your kids if you’re in trouble or if you see you’ve done something wrong, go ahead and admit it,” she said. “Be a man and it’ll be fixed. In this case, that’s what he did and he’s being punished for it. That’s not the lesson we need to teach our kids.”

Withrow was just two weeks away from graduating with honors, but now he may not be able to graduate high school this year at all. He will have to wait 365 days in order to finish his last two weeks of high school. His life will be on pause – for trying to do the right thing.

Here is the phone number for the school: (919) 936-6431

Here is the phone number for the NC Governor’s office: (919) 733-5811

Follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #freecole

Link to full article on Fox News: Eagle Scout Facing Expulsion over Gun Charge | FOX News & Commentary: Todd Starnes

He did the right thing in:

- safely unloading his gun
- placing it in the trunk of his car, and locking it
- calling his mother for assistance

The school should recognise that he at least tried to do the right thing, and should not be expelled. He should be more careful next time, but it doesn't seem that he posed any threat, and that this was a genuine mistake.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

I only read the title but if he had the gun on School Property I hope they throw the book at him.

 

[Noomi]

I only read the title but if he had the gun on School Property I hope they throw the book at him.

Despite the fact it was a genuine mistake?

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

I only read the title but if he had the gun on School Property I hope they throw the book at him.

Despite the fact it was a genuine mistake?

Yep. 0 tolerance for k8ds with REAL guns on school property. Period

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

A senior at Princeton High School near Raleigh, NC has been permanently expelled from school.

His crime: He went skeet shooting the day before with some friends, safely unloaded and locked up his shotgun in his truck afterward, and then forgot it was there the next day when he drove to school.

Big fucking whoop. I have a friend whose only crime was accidentally crossing into Mexico with a couple of rounds of ammunition, and he spent over a month in a Mexican jail run by the Cartel - was lucky to get out at all but his father was a Texas Ranger and had connections on the other side.

BTW, as a result of this incident, this Eagle Scout has also been charged with a felony.

Last time I checked its a crime to possess a weapon on school grounds. Did that change? Maybe next time a young black kid from the inner city is found to have a handgun in his locker, you'll be fine with it? Or are only Eagle Scouts allowed to break the law?

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

BTW, guess what his school Senior Project was on?

Gun Safety.

Ironic considering the first step in gun safety is to know where the gun is.

The paranoid gun-haters have so twisted and warped our laws, that one of the best kids in the school, who treated his gun with perfect safety and secured it from any possible interlopers, has been expelled from school and charged with a felony.

Does the law say that bringing a gun onto school grounds is a crime?

It's clear to me who committed a crime here: The people who made the laws to cause him to be punished this way.

The first person to sign a gun free school zone law was was named George H Bush.

 

[BallsBrunswick]

Why am I supposed to care about this?

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Why am I supposed to care about this?

Apparently you are new to the interwebz

 

[BallsBrunswick]

Why am I supposed to care about this?

Apparently you are new to the interwebz

I guess so... or maybe I don't see the point of getting upset over a kid being disciplined for bringing a fucking shotgun onto school property.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Why am I supposed to care about this?

Apparently you are new to the interwebz

I guess so... or maybe I don't see the point of getting upset over a kid being disciplined for bringing a fucking shotgun onto school property.

Hey, im with you but this is the game we play.

Your move

 

[OriginalShroom]

To prevent this young man from graduating, when he posed no risk to anyone at all is beyond stupid.

This is what is wrong with "Zero Tolerance" laws and rules. Except they didn't enforce the "Zero Tolerance" rules before when it was an administrator caught with a loaded firearm in her car, a gun that several students got their hands on.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

To prevent this young man from graduating, when he posed no risk to anyone at all is beyond stupid.

You should set yourself on fire in protest.

 

[OriginalShroom]

Why am I supposed to care about this?

Apparently you are new to the interwebz

I guess so... or maybe I don't see the point of getting upset over a kid being disciplined for bringing a fucking shotgun onto school property.

How about having the punishment fit the crime.

The shot gun was unloaded.

The shot gun was in a locked vehicle.

He didn't have possession of the shot gun.

The authorities only know about it because they overheard him asking his mother to come get it out of his truck.

It seems to me that that young man, with only two weeks left until graduation, should not have been expelled.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Apparently you are new to the interwebz

I guess so... or maybe I don't see the point of getting upset over a kid being disciplined for bringing a fucking shotgun onto school property.

How about having the punishment fit the crime.

The shot gun was unloaded.

The shot gun was in a locked vehicle.

He didn't have possession of the shot gun.

The authorities only know about it because they overheard him asking his mother to come get it out of his truck.

It seems to me that that young man, with only two weeks left until graduation, should not have been expelled.

He will be fine. And hopefully he's learned a valuable lesson

 

[BallsBrunswick]

Apparently you are new to the interwebz

I guess so... or maybe I don't see the point of getting upset over a kid being disciplined for bringing a fucking shotgun onto school property.

How about having the punishment fit the crime.

The shot gun was unloaded.

The shot gun was in a locked vehicle.

He didn't have possession of the shot gun.

The authorities only know about it because they overheard him asking his mother to come get it out of his truck.

It seems to me that that young man, with only two weeks left until graduation, should not have been expelled.

I thought conservatives were rule and law crazy? Or are you only interested in following rules and laws you agree with? Dude brought a shotgun onto school property, tough tits.

 

[OriginalShroom]

I guess so... or maybe I don't see the point of getting upset over a kid being disciplined for bringing a fucking shotgun onto school property.

How about having the punishment fit the crime.

The shot gun was unloaded.

The shot gun was in a locked vehicle.

He didn't have possession of the shot gun.

The authorities only know about it because they overheard him asking his mother to come get it out of his truck.

It seems to me that that young man, with only two weeks left until graduation, should not have been expelled.

I thought conservatives were rule and law crazy? Or are you only interested in following rules and laws you agree with? Dude brought a shotgun onto school property, tough tits.

I am all about the rule of law and Justice.

Show me the Justice in this decision. The punishment doesn't fit the crime.

As did the assistant principle who left her loaded gun in her car and gave the keys to the auto shop students who ended up passing her loaded gun around like a toy. She was suspended for 3 days with pay.

At worst he should have been given a 3 day in-school suspension.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

How about having the punishment fit the crime.

How about enforcing the law as its written instead of giving special treatment to people whose stories you like?

He didn't have possession of the shot gun.

Then who did?

The authorities only know about it because they overheard him asking his mother to come get it out of his truck.

"Judge, its not fair! If they hadn't caught me committing the crime, I wouldn't be here!"

Yeah that's a reasonable argument to make.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

He will gradiate this summer if he somehow didn't get enough credits because of this. Otherwise he will just miss the formality of receiving it on a stage.

Small price to pay for bringing a gun to school. He will be fine