"My story is based on fiction," said Poole, who faces a second-degree felony terrorist threatening charge. "It's a fake story. I made it up. I've been working on one of my short stories, (and) the short story they found was about zombies. Yes, it did say a high school. It was about a high school over ran by zombies."Gee, detective, I possess all kinds of matter pertaining to schools and their functions, and I even recommend that people ignore the damn law and carry weapons on campuses when their mature judgment as responsible and sovereign citizens tells them doing so would be prudent. Anybody wants to make a felony rap out of that, let's dance.
Even so, police say the nature of the story makes it a felony. "Anytime you make any threat or possess matter involving a school or function it's a felony in the state of Kentucky," said Winchester Police detective Steven Caudill.
Here's the thing--I simply don't know enough about this story to judge the merits of whether or not young Poole posed a credible threat. Grandparents calling the cops suggests they were at the end of their tether, but who knows those family dynamics? And who knows if he singled out individuals by name and outlined specific intent?
What should concern us all is the level of evidence--as presented in this news account--arising to the level of a felony prosecution. If they have the kid on a genuine threat against real people, that's one thing. But we need to make sure we're not so paranoid that we overreact and infringe on genuine freedom. And it's up to us to keep tabs on those who might do so in our name.
[Via Cigar Rollers]
wow, just look at how fast and far that "terrorist" shit has spread.
ReplyDeleteIt CAN'T be a "terrorist threating" if there was no THREAT. Writing a private story, or a story for english class is NOT making a threat. Was the story ever handed in or presented to anyone? Did he say "I'm going to scare the shit outta you before I kill you? Then MAYBE they'd have a case. As it is now he wrote a story that may or may not involve killing someone. Welcome to the world of hollyweird screenwriters with unoriginal shit.
As for stories involving high school and "terror" when will Kentucky be going after "Buffy the vampire slayer" "red dawn" and any number of other movies? Hell, I can't tell you how many shitty short scripts I've seen, worked on, or been told of that deal with stuff like this.
We have GOT to get control of the government and put sane responsible people in charge.
"terroristic," that's cute, i wonder what it means. like, if i wear a turban, but i'm not a sheik, and it's not halloween, is that "terroristic?"
ReplyDeleteand who turned him in for this? his own family?
"He claims that what his grandparents found in his journal and turned into police was a short story he wrote for English class."
and then investigators are invited into the home to look!
if we have a problem here, it runs deeper than just out of control government.
This story is a couple years old. The TT charges were dismissed. But the guy did/does have two years probation for going on to school grounds in violation of his bond on the original charge. He had gone to pick up a younger relative.
ReplyDeleteArrest Stephen King NOW!
ReplyDeleteOh shi--- I'm writing a zombie story too! And it might just include the school!
ReplyDeleteWow, 3 years old...but here's more on it.
ReplyDeletehttp://oracknows.blogspot.com/2005/03/kentucky-zombie-update.html
Every place that has any movies for monsters and or killers that have high schools in the movie should be charged with felonies.
ReplyDeleteI can think of many of them that are on the market to buy or rent. Who knows this story could have become a scrip for a movie to be. All movies had to have a scrip.