Felony weapons charge for student who brought fishing supplies to school

[Jeff]

OK zero tolerance ought to mean ya have to have a brain as well, so this kid left his tackle box in his vehicle so now we will saddle him with a felony that will in turn destroy him at such a young age, no wonder people are crashing the gates of the WH.




The arrests of several students who unwittingly and accidentally violated school weapon policies has some Georgian lawmakers saying “zero tolerance” makes zero sense.
A Cobb County high school senior was charged with the felony of bringing weapons into a school zone after police found fishing knives in a tackle box in his car. Cody Chitwood, a 17-year-old student at Lassiter High School and avid fisherman, turned himself in and was released on $1,000 bond.
Police were performing a random sweep, and drug-sniffing dogs detected black powder in Chitwood’s car. The powder was residue from a firecracker that had been in the car since Fourth of July, but it was enough to a warrant a full search that turned up the fishing-related weaponry.


http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/02/felony-weapons-charge-for-student-who-brought-fishing-supplies-to-school/

[Missileman]

OK zero tolerance ought to mean ya have to have a brain as well, so this kid left his tackle box in his vehicle so now we will saddle him with a felony that will in turn destroy him at such a young age, no wonder people are crashing the gates of the WH.





http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/02/felony-weapons-charge-for-student-who-brought-fishing-supplies-to-school/

A fishing knife isn't a weapon, it's a tool. What will they do if someone uses a pencil to kill another person at a school?

[Trigg]

Thank god I still life in a county with common sense.

My 6th grader needed to do a report on a book. The book was fiction and the main character carried a bow. We had one, without the string, he carried it on the bus and used it as a prop. I'm sure some of these schools would have called the police.

[logroller]

I doubt the charge will stick. Usually for a weapons charge it has to be have no lawful purpose and be considered a threat to a reasonable person. A knife in a tackle box in a trunk hardly qualifies IMO and I think theyll have a hard time finding a jury that believes it either.

[Kathianne]

I doubt the charge will stick. Usually for a weapons charge it has to be have no lawful purpose and be considered a threat to a reasonable person. A knife in a tackle box in a trunk hardly qualifies IMO and I think theyll have a hard time finding a jury that believes it either.

School law is different on many levels. Zero tolerance really needs to be gone. It was a way for the schools to avoid using judgment to avoid responsibility of decisions.

No 'weapons' in school shouldn't make plastic soldiers or key fobs reasons to suspend or expel. Same with 6 year olds kissing, even after giving 'chase' and catching, sexual harassment. Some commonsense is needed here.

High schoolers with a tackle box in their car, shouldn't bring this type of charges.

[aboutime]

A fishing knife isn't a weapon, it's a tool. What will they do if someone uses a pencil to kill another person at a school?

Missileman. NOT A JOKE. Just wondering how long it will be before they start banning pens, and pencils because they are weapons....and demand the children learn to TYPE?

This also gives credence to doing away with children having to learn CURSIVE writing.

It's just TOO DANGEROUS to expect children to LEARN under such terrible circumstances, like SIGNING THEIR NAME, rather than PRINTING it for others to copy, and forge.

[revelarts]

I doubt the charge will stick. Usually for a weapons charge it has to be have no lawful purpose and be considered a threat to a reasonable person. A knife in a tackle box in a trunk hardly qualifies IMO and I think theyll have a hard time finding a jury that believes it either.

But why should you even be arrested for stupid crap like this.
pay a bondsman... then not having the charges stick probably ... as long as you get a decent jury... and not a judge who may be an idiotic letter of da law nut.
it's way to much BS over nothing.

police should use common sense if the purpose is to really find dangerous kids why waste your time with obvious fishing equipment. It's a waste of everyones time and taxpayer $.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

But why should you even be arrested for stupid crap like this.
pay a bondsman... then not having the charges stick probably ... as long as you get a decent jury... and not a judge who may be an idiotic letter of da law nut.
it's way to much BS over nothing.

police should use common sense if the purpose is to really find dangerous kids why waste your time with obvious fishing equipment. It's a waste of everyones time and taxpayer $. Wasting out tax dollars is a favorite hobby of the dems. One could even say an addiction. You using logic like you just did is also taboo in their fantasy world. That post surely put you firmly on one of their lists, be afraid, be very afraid.. :laugh: Hell at my old site I had two of the asshats that regularly reported me to the FBI AND HOMEASS SECURITY and proudly told me about it. I laughed at their stupid asses and reminded them of Freedom of Speech. You'd think I tossed holy water on a vamp when I did that..- :laugh2: --Tyr

[Kathianne]

But why should you even be arrested for stupid crap like this.
pay a bondsman... then not having the charges stick probably ... as long as you get a decent jury... and not a judge who may be an idiotic letter of da law nut.
it's way to much BS over nothing.

police should use common sense if the purpose is to really find dangerous kids why waste your time with obvious fishing equipment. It's a waste of everyones time and taxpayer $.

Police enforce the laws, the problem is with the laws.

[revelarts]

Police enforce the laws, the problem is with the laws.

Police have to use discretion and judgement every day in enforcing laws.
they determine on the spot if a laws being broken or not, by their personal judgement.
And if the law is being broken whether or not to arrest, let off with a warning or ignore it.

I agree the laws are stupid too, but it doesn't really let the police off the hook.

[Kathianne]

Police have to use discretion and judgement every day in enforcing laws.
they determine on the spot if a laws being broken or not, by their personal judgement.
And if the law is being broken whether or not to arrest, let off with a warning or ignore it.

I agree the laws are stupid too, but it doesn't really let the police off the hook.

zero tolerance laws nullify discretion. It's a feature, not a bug.

[Jeff]

zero tolerance laws nullify discretion. It's a feature, not a bug.

How about if we try some common sense here, Zero tolerance for actual weapons, sounds reasonable to me of course to a liberal a butter knife is a knife but we must draw the line somewhere , a knife in a tackle box is a must when you fish , even a little folding knife in your pocket is a must here in the south ( I use mine daily ) but yes I can see why they wont allow that in school, but we must get some folks with common sense to run the zero tolerance because this is turning into a liberal playground ( nightmare to me )

[revelarts]

zero tolerance laws nullify discretion. It's a feature, not a bug.

Yes the law is dum
but it does not say that Officers HAVE to arrest everyone they see with with a fishing kinfe. "it says it's Against thelaw "
not that they can't use common sense.
they can look the other way and thankfuly DO in MANY areas of the law.
we all know there are enough laws on the books nowadays to put us ALL in jail for something. IF the cops wanted to get you.

using common sense would apply here.

http://www.police.uga.edu/documents/O.C.G.A_16-11-127.1.pdf

[Larrymc]

OK zero tolerance ought to mean ya have to have a brain as well, so this kid left his tackle box in his vehicle so now we will saddle him with a felony that will in turn destroy him at such a young age, no wonder people are crashing the gates of the WH.





http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/02/felony-weapons-charge-for-student-who-brought-fishing-supplies-to-school/I could not be a Cop in this day and time, i simply would be ashamed of having to enforce such idiocy, and then the frustration of real thugs back on the street in hours, time and time again, its no wounder we have cops that abuse there power.

[Kathianne]

I could not be a Cop in this day and time, i simply would be ashamed of having to enforce such idiocy, and then the frustration of real thugs back on the street in hours, time and time again, its no wounder we have cops that abuse there power.

It was one of the reasons my brother chose to retire earlier than he thought he would. Police are restricted more and more in the use of discretion. For someone who views law enforcement as an important force for prevention, these laws and punishments are frustrating.

It's not just the police, but judges too that find mandatory sentencing is not working out as planned.

[Larrymc]

It was one of the reasons my brother chose to retire earlier than he thought he would. Police are restricted more and more in the use of discretion. For someone who views law enforcement as an important force for prevention, these laws and punishments are frustrating.

It's not just the police, but judges too that find mandatory sentencing is not working out as planned.While abuse of their power, is not to be tolerated, they should be respected, IMO its years of Liberal fix's that breeds such disrespect, while its ok to respectfully quiston authority. Cursing, spitting, fighting and even running ect ect, should have serious consequences, when i was young, no matter the chaos of the situation, when a Cop showed up, it all came to a halt.