Boy charged with felony for carrying sugar

suntimes ^ | February 11, 2006

[Revel]

Boy charged with felony for carrying sugar

BY JUSTINA WANG A 12-year-old Aurora boy who said he brought powdered sugar to school for a science project this week has been charged with a felony for possessing a look-alike drug, Aurora police have confirmed.

The sixth-grade student at Waldo Middle School was also suspended for two weeks from school after showing the bag of powdered sugar to his friends.

The boy, who is not being identified because he is a juvenile, said he brought the bag to school to ask his science teacher if he could run an experiment using sugar.

Two other boys asked if the bag contained cocaine after he showed it to them in the bathroom Wednesday morning, the boy's mother said.

He joked that it was cocaine, before telling them, "just kidding," she said.

Aurora police arrested the boy after a custodian at the school reported the boy's comments. The youngster was taken to the police station and detained, before being released to his parents that afternoon.

"This is getting ridiculous," said the boy's mother. "They treated my son like a criminal. .. . This is no way to treat a 12-year-old kid."

East Aurora School District officials declined to comment on the case, citing privacy issues.

The district issued a written statement, which said: "The dangers of illegal drugs and controlled substances are clear.

Could get probation "Look-alike drugs and substances can cause that same level of danger because staff and students are not equipped to differentiate between the two."

The school handbook states that students can be suspended or expelled for carrying a look-alike drug.

Penalties for juveniles are decided on a case-by-case basis, but if convicted, the sixth-grader could likely face up to five years' probation, said Jeffery Jefko, deputy director of Kane County juvenile court services.

Juveniles who have prior criminal records could also be placed in a residential treatment program if convicted, he said.

Aurora Beacon-News

[mysterio]

Do you or do you not support the child being prosecuted and charged with a felony for possessing sugar?

[takenoprisoner]

Do you support removing a child from class and taking him to jail for possessing sugar?

guilty?
not guilty?
guilty with an excuse?

(nolo contendre cannot be accepted as a plea)

[robertpaulsen]

"So if you support ..."

Oh, what I support? Hell, I'm against 'zero tolerance' anything. I'm for common sense rules and letting the principal make the judgements and run the school.

But enough about me.

The school happens to have a policy against look-alike drugs. It's common knowledge. It's in the student handbook. This is no secret. Like it or not, the students are expected to abide by school policy.

If the parents wish to approach the principal to change the rules, fine by me. It's their school and their kids. Until that time, however, no look-alike drugs.

[robertpaulsen]

Hey MrLeRoy. Go up to a bank teller with a fake gun, demand money, then say "just kidding".

Then try your "tendentiously extracted fragment" and "totality of the statement" arguments with the judge. If it works with the judge, then I'll concede your point.

[robertpaulsen]

"Loosing of legal restriction is legalization at a limited level. You're parsing words here"

I'm parsing words? It you mean decriminalization instead of legalization, then I suggest you say so. Am I supposed to read your mind?

Decriminalization is simply a reduction of the penalty for simple marijuana possession. It is still illegal.

Alcohol and tobacco are legal and regulated by the state.

"If Soros was just funding this one issue ... I would not much problems with him."

That's not the point. Soros is free to fund whatever he wants.

The point is that Soros and the other national groups are going into a state to conduct their million dollar propaganda campaigns to influence the vote on marijuana issues. Your claim is that "the people" of the state are speaking out via these referendums. Not exactly true.

[robertpaulsen]

"Father Vogel frequently would have a finger gunfight with one of us on the playground."

Oh ... come ... on. That's totally different than what I was talking about. Give me a break.

If you went to a Catholic school, then you are very much aware of the point I'm trying to make. A student does not disrespect the teacher. Period.

When I went to school, any disrespect was handled right then and there by the teacher, the punishment commensurate with the infraction. Then it was over.

Parents used to trust the judgment of the teachers and the school principal. You take away their ability to use their judgment, you get zero tolerance.

[robertpaulsen]

"Are you saying that they did find drugs?"

Hey, you're the one whining about the search. Are you saying it uncalled for? Are you saying that drug dealing was NOT going on in the hallways at Stratford High School in Goose Creek?

C'mon. Grow a pair. Tell everyone on this board that the police had absolutely no reason to search the students. Tell everyone that you believe there was NO drug dealing going on.

Whiny coward.

[robertpaulsen]

Do you support the right of citizens of Illinois to make their own state laws? Or should we take a national poll to decide how the citizens of Illinois should run their lives in their state?

And here I thought you were for states rights. Boy, that went away real quick.

[robertpaulsen]

judgments

[READINABLUESTATE]

zero tolerance = zero thought and zero common sense.
People who support blanket policies like this are having a moron chip problem.

[Paul C. Jesup]

Decriminalization is simply a reduction of the penalty for simple marijuana possession. It is still illegal.

You're parsing words again.

Alcohol and tobacco are legal and regulated by the state.

They are also regulated at the federal level by the ATF, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.

The point is that Soros and the other national groups are going into a state to conduct their million dollar propaganda campaigns to influence the vote on marijuana issues.

I find it interesting you don't care if Soros illegally screws with the price of gas, driving the price up, but you do have a problem when he does something in politics in a legal manner.

[YourAdHere]

Stupid is as stupid does.

[pageonetoo]

Are you saying that drug dealing was NOT going on in the hallways at Stratford High School in Goose Creek?

I don't need to grow anything, little boy. You are making the claims, not supported by facts. THEY FOUND NO DRUGS. The police made this ridiculous raid, pointed guns at children, and walked around in their bdu's and jack-boots. I know you like that, but that doesn't make it right. You are the one trying to make our country more like a police state.

Yes, little boy, the search was wrong. You seem to be one of the few that think it is ok to roust anyone just because they "might" do something, with which you don't agree. My copy, of the Bill of Rights, doesn't exclude schools from the limits of the fourth Amendment!

As I said before, get a real life...

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

[SUSSA]

You were talking about a kid who pointed a chicken finger at a teacher and said "bang bang". That's no different from what we did when I was a kid. No nun in our school would have smacked us for that as you advocated.

In the schools I went to respect was earned. But the nuns and teachers weren't bureaucrats or union members whining about how hard their job was. The nuns and teachers didn't run to the cops if a kid talked back or got into a fight.

I was never in a government school, and except for one 5 week stint, neither were my kids, nor are any of my grandchildren in a government school. When my kids go to school about some situation with one of my grandchildren, they are treated with respect, and like the customer rather than like they are a bother.

When the adults act irresponsibly, they invite disrespect. How much respect do the classroom bureaucrat and the administration bureaucrat deserve in the chicken finger case? Not very much in my opinion.

Of course, the parents deserve much of the blame. They dump their kids in socialized government schools instead of stepping up and taking care of their responsibility. They are no different from the people who are in government housing or on any other kind of government assistance.

[Mojave]

Decriminalization is simply a reduction of the penalty for simple marijuana possession. It is still illegal.

You're confusing them.

[takenoprisoner]

"Do you support the right of citizens of Illinois to make their own state laws? Or should we take a national poll to decide how the citizens of Illinois should run their lives in their state?"

Are you actually asserting on behalf of the people of Illinois that they voted to cart off to jail their own elementary aged children for possessing a bag of sugar at school?

I find it incredible that the citizens of Illinois would endorse such nonsense.

Sure the law exists. But not as if there were a referendum on it for the citizens of Illinois to vote for or against. Besides, the intent of the Illinois legislator was to snare street dealers who were selling even more harmful and dangerous impure drugs, and/or reaping more profits from the sale of fake look alike drugs. The intent of the law was never to snare a 12 year old child at school horsing around with a bag of sugar...

Reasonable LEO and school adminstrators should be able to figure this out all on their own. I guess not.

[Fred Hayek]

I had a similar incident in high school. I had these rolled wasp paper sticks that were used for 3-D rendering in a drafting/mechanical drawing/technical illustration class (1972, before there were common computer graphics. Drafting and design was done on a drafting board, with T-square, triangle, and HB leads, not AutoCAD.). My mother thought they were funny cigarettes.

[Fred Hayek]

Maybe powdered sugar instead of granulated for easier dissolving. Especially if he was trying to quickly make a saturated solution.

[sweet_diane]

"I also have four classes of 9th graders. They are much better behaved than the one class of 7th graders. I've spoken to the parents of several of my worst offenders, btw, and the parents tend to characterize them as "brain-dead."

I probably sounded harsh, and for that I apologize. I know the issues that teachers face in the classroom these days. Our youngest started public schools in the 6th grade and middle school was a nightmare!

Had I chosen teaching I probably would have done the lower grades or upper grades...never middle school. Difficult age even if everything is 'normal' in a childs life. I'm sure you've seen the teachers who make you wonder why in the world they ever chose teaching as a profession. How sad that a parent would classify their child as 'brain dead'. Guess we know why the kids are problems in the classroom.

Again, I am sorry if I was short. The state of our youth and school system frustrates me and yesterday I just really shouldn't have been posting, to be honest! lol

good luck molding those little brains of mush!

[robertpaulsen]

"You're confusing them."

No kidding. I have no idea what "Loosing of legal restriction is legalization at a limited level" means. I thought he was talking about decriminalization, but that's not it.

Well, whatever it is, a lot of states are doing it, so watch out!