January 30, 2005
News of the Weird
Students Arrested for Drawings
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"Police in Ocala, Fla., arrested and cuffed two special-education
kids, ages 9 and 10, for making stick-figure drawings depicting
violent acts against other kids. In the interest of freedom of
expression, (News of the Weird) Pro Edition refers you to this chilling, dangerous artwork (but Yr Editor will absolutely not be responsible if you are incited to mayhem)."--Chuck Shepard (NOTWs "The Weekly Pile")
The boys were arrested Monday on charges of making a written threat to kill or harm another person, a second-degree felony. The special education students used pencil and red crayon to draw primitive stick figure scenes on scrap paper that showed a 10-year-old classmate being stabbed and hung, police said.
"The officer found they were drawing these pictures for the sole purpose of intimidating and scaring the victim," said Ocala Police Sgt. Russ Kern. The boy depicted in the drawings told his teacher, who took the sketches and contacted the school dean, Marty Clifford. Clifford called police, who arrested the boys after consulting with the State Attorney's Office.
Parents of both of the arrested boys said they thought the boys should be punished by the school and families, not the legal system.
Ocala police said they stand behind the decision to arrest the children.
"When an adult or even myself look at the picture looked at it at first I was thinking there is really not much to the picture or I would not be that scared by the picture those children drew," Ocala police spokesman Russ Kearn said. "However, we have to put ourselves in his mind and that's the bottom line here. It is his well-being and the way he perceived that picture to be. It actually put him in extreme fear and he was in fear for his life."
Posted by Cieciel at January 30, 2005 01:23 AM