Posted on 05/02/2013 5:36:14 PM PDT by jazusamo
A North Carolina Eagle Scout who was expelled and arrested for accidentally leaving a shotgun in his pickup truck in the school parking lot has been offered a scholarship to attend Liberty University.
Cole Withrow was just a few weeks from graduating with honors from Princeton High School when he was arrested on Monday and slapped with a felony weapons charge. Withrow had been skeet shooting with friends a day before and had only noticed he had left his shotgun in his truck as he reached to grab his book bag.
When he realized his mistake, he went to the front office and called his mother. An administrator overheard the conversation and called police.
Withrows story has generated national attention. Hundreds of people have joined a Facebook community to show their support. And many local parents are upset over what many believe is a case of a young man getting severely punished for trying to do the right thing.
You teach your kids if youre in trouble or if you see youve done something wrong, go ahead and admit it, family friend Kimberly Boykin said. Be a man and itll be fixed. In this case, thats what he did and hes being punished for it. Thats not the lesson we need to teach our kids.
Jerry Falwell, Jr., the chancellor of Liberty University, had been traveling through North Carolina and saw a local television news account of Withrows ordeal. He also noticed that the 18-year-old was wearing a Liberty University t-shirt.
Falwell told Fox News that he made a few calls and discovered that Withrows sister is a Liberty graduate.
I was really impressed with what a meek and humble Christian kid he is, Falwell said. I thought he would be a perfect fit at Liberty.
So the chancellor made the 18-year-old an offer he couldnt refuse.
I told him that we would give him whatever scholarships he needed to attend Liberty University, he said.
Falwell said the university is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the teenager gets a college education.
The anti-gun zealots seem to be vilifying him for making an honest mistake, he told Fox News. We want to reward him for trying to do the right thing.
And that means even helping the young man finish his last few weeks of high school. Falwell said they offered to let him finish his high school work through their online academy.
Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Va., is the worlds largest Christian university with nearly 100,000 students. The chancellor said hes been flooded with messages of support for Withrow from the Liberty community.
Its something our whole university feels good about, he said.
For now Withrow, who had a spotless record, faces a precarious future. Its unclear at this point how the pending criminal charges will be worked out.
Falwell called the boys predicament disturbing and unsettling.
When you see a basketball player who is glorified for announcing that hes gay and then you see an honest young man like Cole arrested and treated like a criminal for making an honest mistake you wonder whats happening to our country, he said. The culture seems to be completely disconnected from our roots our Christian heritage and our Constitution. I hope the American people wake up before its too late.
That is a most excellent point. It seems intent is many times ignored for the criminal but seldom for the law abiding citizen.
Way to go Liberty! I suggest that all conservatives follow this plan. When the Obama mooches come begging at Christmas, Thanksgiving etc...hold all funds. Start financing some good Christian kids college/work fund. Can you imagine what an impact on the world we could have if we decided that our “giving” is only going to support our values.
They have good track facilities. My son is a HS hurdler.
will the felony charges be dropped? look the resident of 1600 Pennsylvania admitted in his book that he smoked marijuana. when he applied for his law license in Illinois he did not answer the question truthfully if he ever used drugs and if he ever used a different name barry soetoro and barry dunham, yet another violation. thus in turn the state of lllinois disbarred Obama for a fourth degree felony for his drug use he admitted in his book.
Good luck to your boy!
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