Student arrested for essay's imaginary violence

[waggy]

cnn link

CARY, Illinois (AP) -- A high school senior was arrested after writing that "it would be funny" to dream about opening fire in a building and having sex with the dead victims, authorities said.

Another passage in the essay advised his teacher at Cary-Grove High School: "don't be surprised on inspiring the first CG shooting," according to a criminal complaint filed this week.

Allen Lee, 18, faces two disorderly conduct charges over the creative-writing assignment, which he was given on Monday in English class at the northern Illinois school.

Students were told to "write whatever comes to your mind. Do not judge or censor what you are writing," according to a copy of the assignment.

According to the complaint, Lee's essay reads in part, "Blood, sex and booze. Drugs, drugs, drugs are fun. Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, s...t...a...b...puke. So I had this dream last night where I went into a building, pulled out two P90s and started shooting everyone, then had sex with the dead bodies. Well, not really, but it would be funny if I did."

Officials described the essay as disturbing and inappropriate.

Lee said he was just following the directions.

"In creative writing, you're told to exaggerate," Lee said. "It was supposed to be just junk. ... There definitely is violent content, but they're taking it out of context and making it something it isn't."

Lee was moved to an off-campus learning program, and the district was evaluating a punishment, schools spokesman Jeff Puma said.

"It wasn't just violent or foul language," Puma said. "It went beyond that."

The teenager's father, Albert Lee, has defended his son as a straight-A student who was just following instructions and contends the school overreacted. But he has also said he understands that the situation arose in the week after a Virginia Tech student gunned down 32 people before committing suicide.

Defense attorney Dane Loizzo said Allen Lee has never been disciplined in school and signed Marine enlistment papers last week.

A conviction could bring up to 30 days in jail and a maximum $1,500 fine.






Ok i understand they have to take this stuff seriously. but to be arrested for a essay? WTF?

that is just fricken insane.





UPDATE:

Disorderly conduct charges were dropped today against the Cary-Grove High School senior who wrote a violent class essay shortly after the Virginia Tech massacre.

The decision regarding Allen Lee was announced this morning during a brief court hearing by McHenry County State's Atty. Louis Bianchi.

"We believe, as the school did, that Mr. Lee is not a threat to himself, his teacher, his classmates, the principal or the school," Bianchi said after the hearing. "Most importantly, it is clear to us that Ms. Capron (his English teacher) has no desire for this matter to continue any longer."

The dropping of the charges means that Lee once again will be eligible to enlist in the Marines. The Marines canceled his enlistment when the charges were filed.

Asked if Lee, 18, was sorry about writing the essay, his attorney, Dane Loizzo said: "I don't think sorry or remorse has ever been part of the lexicon. Allen regrets what this turned into and the unwanted attention it brought to him and his family."

The essay and misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge put Lee in an international spotlight.

On April 23, a week after the Virginia Tech massacre, Lee and other students were given a "free writing" exercise. Teacher Nora Capron told them to write whatever came to mind and not to judge or censor themselves.

Lee wrote about blood, sex and booze and described a dream of "shooting everyone" and then having sex with the dead bodies.

The 342-word essay also had several sentences aimed at Capron, including: "No quarrel on you qualifications as a writer, but as a teacher, don't be surprised on inspiring the first [Cary-Grove] shooting."

Capron gave the essay to her superiors, who notified police. Lee was arrested as he walked to class the next day. He was freed on $75 bail posted by his parents.

School officials did not suspend or discipline Lee, who was taught off-campus for eight days because of what officials called safety concerns. He returned to school May. 4. He will graduate Saturday.



just as most figured charges dropped.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: waggy
...

A conviction could bring up to 30 days in jail and a maximum $1,500 fine.

A conviction for what, what was the charge?

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat

Originally posted by: waggy
...

A conviction could bring up to 30 days in jail and a maximum $1,500 fine.

A conviction for what, what was the charge?

two disorderly conduct charges

 

[everman]

Thought Police to the rescue!

 

[yankeesfan]

He needs some therapy, IMO.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat

Originally posted by: waggy
...

A conviction could bring up to 30 days in jail and a maximum $1,500 fine.

A conviction for what, what was the charge?

two disorderly conduct charges

Skimmed right through it.
That is insane!

 

[fawe]

Originally posted by: waggy
Officials described the essay as disturbing and inappropriate.

wow... since when has writing a disturbing essay been a crime?

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat

Originally posted by: waggy
...

A conviction could bring up to 30 days in jail and a maximum $1,500 fine.

A conviction for what, what was the charge?

disorderly conduct I believe

NM too slooooowwww

 

[mugs]

He should be arrested for poor grammar and for being a terrible writer!

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I could see that they are a bit paranoid because of the VT shootings. but the writing that the VA guy did was 100x worse then this.

A conviction would probably be "endangered the welfare of students and staff" Not going to happen. At most, probably a slap on the wrists. Unless someone at the court is really stupid.

The rules technically didn't unallow this, even though it was a bit out of line, so close to VA.

 

[Bateluer]

Thats retarded, but the kid should have some sense in his head.

 

[2Xtreme21]

The kid's not going to get any jail time... they're just gonna force him into intense mental therapy.

Still it's not right, but people are scared-- that's why I hate tragedies.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: tenshodo13
I could see that they are a bit paranoid because of the VT shootings. but the writing that the VA guy did was 100x worse then this.

A conviction would probably be "endangered the welfare of students and staff" Not going to happen. At most, probably a slap on the wrists. Unless someone at the court is really stupid.

The rules technically didn't unallow this, even though it was a bit out of line, so close to VA.

I would have to imagine the charges will be dropped. What ever happened to free speech?

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat

Originally posted by: tenshodo13
I could see that they are a bit paranoid because of the VT shootings. but the writing that the VA guy did was 100x worse then this.

A conviction would probably be "endangered the welfare of students and staff" Not going to happen. At most, probably a slap on the wrists. Unless someone at the court is really stupid.

The rules technically didn't unallow this, even though it was a bit out of line, so close to VA.

I would have to imagine the charges will be dropped. What ever happened to free speech?

now that it is in the news odds are they will be dropped. but they should never been brought up. the kid was a A student. signed up for the Marine's and never been in trouble.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Wow, I just got bad grades for submitting ****** assignments. Never got arrested for them.

 

[paulxcook]

This is probably going a bit overboard, but I think where he went wrong was the part where he wrote a threat to the teacher, saying she shouldn't be surprised if this assignment inspires the first shooting there at that school. If he hadn't written that this would be way over the top. But I can understand why it would've been considered a possible threat. That one line makes all the difference. For a straight A student, that was pretty dumb.

 

[Alone]

People who do this often end up doing some messed up things...I would have sentenced him to therapy, not jail.

 

[waggy]

Marine Corps drops student after violent essay draws charges

The Associated Press
Published April 27, 2007, 8:10 PM CDT
Allen Lee dreamed of joining the Marines his entire life, a dream that was on the verge of coming true after the suburban Chicago 18-year-old signed enlistment papers this month.

One violent, profanity-laced English essay later and Lee's future with the Marine Corps appears to be over.

Because of pending criminal charges stemming from his essay, Lee's recruiter told him Friday evening that the Marine Corps has discharged him from his contract, said Sgt. Luis R. Agostini, spokesman for the Marine Corps Recruiting Station Chicago.

"Basically he is no longer an applicant to become a Marine," Agostini said.

The Cary-Grove High School senior was charged this week with two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct after the principal turned his creative writing essay over to police.

The charges are a product of paranoia, born in the aftermath of the massacre of 32 students at Virginia Tech by a social outcast who then killed himself, said one of Lee's attorneys, Thomas Loizzo.

"Once the dust settles, once they look at this through clearer glasses, we think that the state will do the right thing and dismiss the charges," Loizzo said.

Lee hopes to re-enlist in the Marines if the charges are cleared and he's allowed to return to school, said his other attorney, Dane Loizzo.

"That's the most disheartening thing about this entire situation," Dane Loizzo said. "He was really looking forward to and wanted to serve and protect this country, because of this, unfortunately, that seems to be put on a temporary hiatus."

Lee signed a contract April 9 that made him a "poolee," a high school senior who had signed up before graduation. If the charges are dropped and Lee completes a psychological exam, the Marine Corps could reconsider his application to enlist, but for now, Lee's discharge from his contract is scheduled for Tuesday, Agostini said.

"It's a lot of what-ifs," Agostini said.

Lee says the essay was a compilation of song lyrics, movie quotes and video game references.

"I have completed the MEPS (Military Entry Processing Station) examinations, and yes a psychiatric evaluation is included in the process," Lee wrote in a statement provided by his attorney. "If I'm qualified to defend the country, I believe I'm qualified to attend school."

But prosecutors say Lee's words shouldn't be taken lightly. He initially faced just one charge, but an amended complaint filed Thursday cited a second passage.

"In light of recent events (at Virginia Tech), that is part of the context of what happened that makes the reaction all the more reasonable," said Tom Carroll, first assistant state's attorney in McHenry County.

McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi said he never has seen a student essay as "alarming and disturbing."

"Fortunately, we may never know if we've saved anybody's life here," Bianchi said.

Lee, who has a 4.2 grade-point-average and never has been in trouble before, is being tutored at the school district's administration offices while officials decide his future, Thomas Loizzo said.

The essay, written Monday, reads in part, "Blood, sex and booze. Drugs, drugs, drugs are fun. Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, s...t...a...b...puke. So I had this dream last night where I went into a building, pulled out two P90s and started shooting everyone, then had sex with the dead bodies. Well, not really, but it would be funny if I did."

The teacher told students, "Be creative, there will be no judgment and no censorship," Thomas Loizzo said. "There was never any warning from the teacher that if she determined the paper to be offensive, she would then pass it along to the authorities."

School officials had other options besides turning over the essay to police, said Ed Yohnka, spokesman for the Illinois branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"I've never heard of someone, a student, being arrested for what they wrote," Yohnka said. "It just went from a student turning in a homework assignment to an arrest ... not a contact with a parent, a social worker or anyone else. I've never seen anything like it."

Community High School District 155 spokesman Jeff Puma declined to talk about Lee's future, citing privacy concerns.

"The essay was inappropriate in that it caused a question about safety," Puma said.

The charges could result in a possible $1,500 fine and up to 30 days in jail if Lee is convicted.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: paulxcook
This is probably going a bit overboard, but I think where he went wrong was the part where he wrote a threat to the teacher, saying she shouldn't be surprised if this assignment inspires the first shooting there at that school. If he hadn't written that this would be way over the top. But I can understand why it would've been considered a possible threat. That one line makes all the difference. For a straight A student, that was pretty dumb.

agreed. that part was way over the line.

 

[waggy]

The teacher told students, "Be creative, there will be no judgment and no censorship," Thomas Loizzo said. "There was never any warning from the teacher that if she determined the paper to be offensive, she would then pass it along to the authorities."


heh now nobody is going to beleive anything the teacher says.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: waggy

now that it is in the news odds are they will be dropped. but they should never been brought up. the kid was a A student. signed up for the Marine's and never been in trouble.

I'm not sure this kid should be in the military...

 

[paulxcook]

Originally posted by: waggy
The teacher told students, "Be creative, there will be no judgment and no censorship," Thomas Loizzo said. "There was never any warning from the teacher that if she determined the paper to be offensive, she would then pass it along to the authorities."


heh now nobody is going to beleive anything the teacher says.

The problem is that he went beyond imaginary violence and threatened actual violence. My guess is that this kid, an otherwise smart young guy and probably bored with most of his assignments, found the essay stupid and wanted to "punish" the teacher for assigning it by going overboard.

Now it looks like he's not going into the Marines. That's too bad, I doubt this kid is actually that bad. This is a consequence of arrogance, not imbalance, IMO. The Marines would've been a good cure for that.

 

[waggy]

Poll added.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

therapy

 

[effowe]

Link to Story w/ Essay

Full Essay:

Blood sex and Booze. Drugs Drugs Drugs are fun. Stab, Stab, Stab, S?t?a?b?, poke. "So I had this dream last night where I went into a building, pulled out two P90s and started shooting everyone?, then had sex with the dead bodies. Well, not really, but it would be funny if I did." Umm, yeah, what to wright about?? I'm leaving to join the Marines and I really don't give a [expletive] about my academics, so why does the only class that's complete [expletive], happen to be the only required class?enough said. The model citizen would stay around to vote in new board member to change the 4 years of English policy, but no one really stays around to vote for that kind of local crap, so whoever gets there name on the Ballet with a pretty face gets to do what the [expletive] ever they want with local ordinance. A person is smart, but people are dumb selfish animals. We can't make rules for ourselves so we vote others to do it for us, but we can't even do that right, I meen seriously, Bush for President? And our other option was John Kerry who claimed to parktake in Vietnam Special Forces missions that haven't been declassified?. [expletive]. So Power Flower Super Mario. Pudge, hook, rot, dismember "Fresh Meat." Most new/young teachers are laid back, and cooperative with students as feedback and input into the curriculum and atmosphere. My current English teacher is a control freak intent on setting a gap between herself and her students like a 63 year old white male fortune 500 company CEO, and a illegal immigrant. If CG was a private catholic school, I could understand, but wtf is her problem. And baking brownies and rice crispies does not make up for it, way to try and justify yourself as a good teacher while underhandidly looking for complements on your cooking. No quarrel on you qualifications as a writer, but as a teacher, don't be surprised on inspiring the first cg shooting.

@paulxcook:
He didn't threaten violence, he said he wouldn't be surprised if she inspired a shooting. That talk at the beginning was a supposed dream he had, and the first line is a quote from a Green Day song. He explains himself in the article linked. I think it was stupid that he would write something like this in the current state of our country, especially with what went down at VT.