School Goes Crazy On 10yr Student

[TheBlueBullet]

What 10-year-old's jury will hear
By: RICK CASEY
Source
If a jury is seated May 15, as scheduled, to decide whether 10-year-old Casey Harmeier committed the crime of attempting to send a false fire alarm, here is some of the evidence jurors are likely to hear.

Casey is a good student, making A's and B's.

According to his father, he has never been in trouble, either at Tomball ISD's Beckendorf Intermediate School or previously at Tomball Elementary School.

When I asked district spokesman Stacy Stanfield to confirm that, she said, “Student records are confidential. I am told he is a good student.”

Teacher: ‘He's a great kid’
He was called to the principal's office last year — to receive the “citizen-of-the-month award.”

When Casey was sentenced to three weeks at the district's alternative school for actually activating the fire alarm, alternative-school teacher Janet Bohannon e-mailed his fifth-grade classroom teachers asking if there was anything she needed to know in order to help him.

“Casey is a really good kid and a hard worker,” replied Lori Dollar. She added her concern that “we do a lot of labs in science that he will be missing.”
Teacher Carrie Roberts wrote: “He's a great kid.”

An eyewitness account
Presumably those same teachers would have to testify he was a really stupid kid when he attempted to pull the fire alarm. There were so many witnesses.

He was in line with classmates and a teacher was nearby when he accidentally brushed a clear plastic cover over the fire alarm. Seeing the cover was ajar, another boy dared him to pull the cover off.

A dare is tough on a boy. Casey pulled the cover and was frightened when a loud horn went off.

Neither he nor his teacher nor, apparently, the principal knew the covers were rigged to sound a loud, local alarm precisely to discourage false alarms from being sent to the dispatcher.

In the principal's office, Casey erroneously said he pulled the alarm. Principal Dolores Guidry sentenced Casey to three weeks at the alternative center and the boy who dared him to in-school suspension.

Without consulting Casey's parents, Guidry called the Tomball police, who arrested Casey and charged him with a felony. It was nearly four hours after the incident that Frank Harmeier, who teaches history at the Tomball alternative school, was notified that his 10-year-old was under arrest.

It took Harmeier 51 days, but he finally was able to get school district officials to admit in writing that “the overwhelming evidence” (a fire alarm log) showed that the fire alarm was not set off by Casey but by a staff member attempting to stop the local horn.

Prosecutor Cari Allen was notified. She did not, however, drop the charges.

“I think the evidence will show he was attempting to do it,” she said.

Apparently she doesn't know about the eyewitness. I will call her Becky because her mother wants to protect her privacy.

Becky told her mother about the incident when she came home from school that day.

“She said the other boy dared Casey to pull the cover off,” her mother said. “She said, ‘I don't think you should do that.’”

Becky's mom said her daughter was clear that it was only about the cover.

“There was no dare to pull the fire-alarm lever,” she said.

Becky's mom called Principal Guidry the next day.

"I told her Becky had witnessed the whole thing," she said. "But I told her under no circumstances should she talk to my daughter without me or my husband there."

Why?

"I didn't want to take the risk of their taking her off to jail,” she said.

She said she had received calls from other parents, all upset that Casey had been arrested without his parents' knowledge.

As it happens, Becky's grandmother dared a classmate to pull an alarm when they were ninth-graders nearly 60 years ago. The girl did. Both had to stay after school several days and write an essay on good citizenship, said Becky's mom.

Neither became a criminal.

Guidry didn't bother to interview Becky, but I'd be surprised if defense attorney Craig Washington didn't want the jury to hear from her.

Watching the prosecutor and school officials squirm during the trial may be the only good thing the juvenile justice system does for Casey.

Already he's been put through a session where, without his parents present, he was asked whether they abused him, sexually or otherwise.

After that session he wrote a brief journal item: "I feel like a dieses. Like all I am is a viol monster of a person well at least thats wat I think. I'm always scared every time I leave my parents sight and the questions I had to answer were scary and asked if I had ever been high, drunk, or raped and it scared me."

At a more recent appearance, Casey was present with his father and Washington as the prosecutor offered a plea bargain and confidently said she knew she could get a conviction.

"I know that's just a negotiating technique, but Casey doesn't," said Harmeier. "He cried all the way home."

Casey will never pull the cover off a fire alarm again. But he wouldn't have anyway. And an essay on citizenship could have helped his spelling.

What kind of school does something like this? Students can have sex in school in 6th grade and it is ok. But attempt to pull a firealarm and get the cops called on you WITHOUT parent notification. Something is wrong here? The people responsible for calling the police and deploying this frivolous punishment should be fired because sometime or another they will do it again. Not only that but the prosecuter has no soul, I swear the laywer could be a ginger. Prosecuting alittle kid on FELONY charges because he lifted up the top to a firealarm? This is why I do truly believe that all laywers will go to hell.

This felony will follow him throughout his whole life. The school, who is supposed to be helping the students, turn on him in a quick min. Do they not care about their students at all? If they would have they would not have imputed this insane punishment upon this poor child. What kind of state are the kids, currently enrolled in that school, going to think if they did anything even remotly trivial. Lets say for example littering. They might be under the impression that they could have the police called on them and if they get away from it, kids might live in fear of going to jail. Thats not right. Scare tactics should not be enforced upon students.

I believe that this whole matter is a decision to enforce scare tactics among children. What other explaination could define this punishment? Its outrageous but is the school sending out the message to their students that if they ever get into trouble, that the cops will be called on them? I believe so and if you can think of any other reasons why this kid is being tried for a felony please let me know.

Can a kid this young even be tried for a felony?

"Already he's been put through a session where, without his parents present, he was asked whether they abused him, sexually or otherwise........'I feel like a dieses. Like all I am is a viol monster of a person well at least thats wat I think. I'm always scared every time I leave my parents sight and the questions I had to answer were scary and asked if I had ever been high, drunk, or raped and it scared me.'"

These people make me sick.

[DoomBagel]

They should have just beaten the kid.

[TheBlueBullet]

At 3/8/07 09:37 PM, DoomBagel wrote: They should have just beaten the kid.

Thank you for that well thought alternative to punishment. You should be venerated.

[packow]

What do you expect? It's Texas. That kid better watch out, one more slip up like that and he'll probably get the chair.

[Korriken]

they should put the fool that called the cops in stocks and have rotten vegetables thown at him with a sign hanging around his neck with "here is a stupid asshat with no soul and no common sense"

i mean, seriously, he's 10! he probably couldn't give you the definition of Felony, much less understand what one is.

[DoomBagel]

At 3/8/07 09:40 PM, TheBlueBullet wrote:

At 3/8/07 09:37 PM, DoomBagel wrote: They should have just beaten the kid.

Thank you for that well thought alternative to punishment. You should be venerated.

You shouldn't play around with the dictionary. It hurts if you drop it on your foot.

[TheBlueBullet]

At 3/8/07 10:05 PM, DoomBagel wrote: You shouldn't play around with the dictionary. It hurts if you drop it on your foot.

That may be but balancing ignorance kills brain cells. What makes you think I looked that word up in a dictionary? Could I not have learned the word in school or in a book I was reading or while I was studying for the sat?

[Gunter45]

What the fuck? The kid pulled a prank on a dare, this isn't a felony case. The kid should get a talking to and that's it, that has always worked in the past.

[DoomBagel]

At 3/8/07 10:12 PM, TheBlueBullet wrote:

That may be but balancing ignorance kills brain cells. What makes you think I looked that word up in a dictionary? Could I not have learned the word in school or in a book I was reading or while I was studying for the sat?

How does one balance ignorance? Also, don't infer too deep. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[TonioMiguel]

The truth is because of 9/11 many things that were considered "Boys will be Boys" have been thrown out. I am currently studying in Nevada the Teacher School law and it is pretty clear that penalty should fit the crime.

I do not feel its a felony though especially for a minor. Its most likely a misdemeanor but you did say it was Texas. We all know who comes from there.

Too me, the kid should be put into mandatory 100 hours of community service or a month of detention along with Mom and Dad paying the bill for the fire departments troubles. To me, fire alarms should not be a simple device to set off.

In my school back in Maine, somebody set off the alarm with a basketball. There really needs to be a more logical way for only faculty and staff to set off the alarm.

[SolInvictus]

what the hell? pulling the fire alarm is what elementary school is for, what is this bullshit.

[Leeloo-Minai]

He should be spanked by his parents and given an assignment of good citizenship, like the article detailed 60 years ago. Then the prosecutor should be taken out and shot. Then the principal. Then the superintendent. In that order.

[TheBlueBullet]

At 3/8/07 10:16 PM, DoomBagel wrote: How does one balance ignorance? Also, don't infer too deep. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

I would supposed that one could balance ignorance by lets say you study definitions for instance but come across a word you do not know then make an insulting comment, Im not saying that this situation applys to you. Just an example that I think is how one could balance ignorance. How could I not infer? You insulted me with your vocabulary remark. Why would I not think that, it appeared as though you refused to learn the word and resorted to and ignorant comment. Elaborate on the Cigar comment.

At 3/8/07 10:19 PM, TonioMiguel wrote: The truth is because of 9/11 many things that were considered "Boys will be Boys" have been thrown out. I am currently studying in Nevada the Teacher School law and it is pretty clear that penalty should fit the crime.

The penalty of a 10 year old removing the cover of a fire alarm should result in either a felony or class A misdemeanor?

I do not feel its a felony though especially for a minor.

I found out somemore information on the case. It got moved down to a Class A misdemeanor but still if he gets convicted into court, he will have to spend time in a Juvenal Jail. So taking off the cover to a fire alarm = Court sentence + Juvenal Jail. That sounds like an frivilous penalty does it not? The kid would have been better off doing a real crime. He did not even set off the fire alarm

"(a fire alarm log) showed that the fire alarm was not set off by Casey but by a staff member"
Why isn't the staff member on trial?!

Too me, the kid should be put into mandatory 100 hours of community service or a month of detention along with Mom and Dad paying the bill for the fire departments troubles. To me, fire alarms should not be a simple device to set off.

I agree that fire alarms should not be simple devices they should me alittle more complex as to where its easy to use but hard to accidentally trigger. 100 hours of community service for taking off the cover? You would get less hours of community service if he was to get into a violent fist raging fight! If the mom and dad had to pay for the fire departments troubles (although nowhere in the article did it say that the fire department arrived or was called) they could sue the school district and the police for harrassment and failure to follow the proper procedures.

[Elfer]

At 3/8/07 09:28 PM, TheBlueBullet wrote: This felony will follow him throughout his whole life.

No it won't, actually.

But the joke here is that the kid is in shit for something a teacher did because that teacher was a moron who wasn't aware of fire alarm cover things.

Everyone was aware of those at our public school, because morons would yank them off all the time. When they installed them though, we had a lot less fire alarms, so the system works.

[TheBlueBullet]

At 3/8/07 10:52 PM, Elfer wrote:

At 3/8/07 09:28 PM, TheBlueBullet wrote: This felony will follow him throughout his whole life.

No it won't, actually.

Really? I thought it would have. Doesn't a felony stay on your record for the rest of your life or do you get a chance to get it removed?

[Leeloo-Minai]

At 3/8/07 11:00 PM, TheBlueBullet wrote:
Really? I thought it would have. Doesn't a felony stay on your record for the rest of your life or do you get a chance to get it removed?

"Eighteen wiped clean."

[Voyd]

Not completly. It will be very difficult for someone to see the records, but they do keep them.

[TheBlueBullet]

At 3/8/07 11:03 PM, Leeloo-Minai wrote: "Eighteen wiped clean."

You learn something everyday.
It seems as though that may be true in some states but according to this government site, "Juvenile records are no longer "wiped clean" at age 18. Your record as a juvenile is open to the public and can affect you college plans, careers and employment opportunities."
Source

It may be true previously that 18 it could be wiped clean but it is not true here. Although I think this applies to Arizona. I used to live in maricopa county (Gilbert area) in Arizona, so I am assuming that Arizona applys this.

[Elfer]

He could also apply for a pardon. They'd probably grant one to a kid who didn't pull a fire alarm when he was ten.

Also: Fun thing about this article, and all others like it, they always say that the kids are great students and hard workers. But really, if you have to work hard when you're ten, you're not a great student.

[TheBlueBullet]

At 3/8/07 11:26 PM, Elfer wrote: Also: Fun thing about this article, and all others like it, they always say that the kids are great students and hard workers. But really, if you have to work hard when you're ten, you're not a great student.

I would have to say that I disagree. If you work hard in school and are hard workers then you are a great student. It does not matter what age you are at. If kids that work hard and get good grades not great students then what would the slackers be called? Not great great students? In this case this kid really was a great student. Nothing bad can be said about his records because there is nothing in his file that could be said so.

[DoomBagel]

If he made A's and B's, he isn't a great student. A great student would get straight A's and wouldn't have pulled the fire alarm or would have been good enough not to get caught.

[TheBlueBullet]

At 3/8/07 11:46 PM, DoomBagel wrote: If he made A's and B's, he isn't a great student. A great student would get straight A's and wouldn't have pulled the fire alarm or would have been good enough not to get caught.

He never pulled the fire alarm a staff member did. (read above) In my opinion a great student gets grades that are not a C or lower. A's and B's , I guess, doesn't make him a great student then. Would "good student" follow your criterion?

[mayeram]

My god, when the Texas law enforcement is done with him, he will either have his frontal lobe removed or he will be peeing his bed every night until he is 60. Then he will finally be wearing diapers, so the pee won’t get on his bed anymore.

Since he has done the most evil act in the history of America, I don’t see why they just don’t give him the Mussolini treatment, drag him through the streets and let everyone in Texas give the little bastard one good stomp. It would teach him good.

These people must have never heard of post traumatic stress disorder. That or they are purposefully trying cause this kid to have it so that they can think about him and giggle to themselves.

It’s like the police chief in the Simpson’s said. “No jury in the world would convict a baby……maybe Texas…”

[The-evil-bucket]

Good god, hes 10 years old!

[morefngdbs]

Strike 1 !
2 more strikes & they can lock him up for good.
Boy that three strikes your out policy is good for everyone <sarcasm>

[Alphabit]

I agree, the school should know how to deal with "naughty" children without having to get the police involved... Seriously, this is nothing... if they didn't want a kid to pull the alarm, then maybe they should have kept it out of their reach. Kids are like monkeys; monkey see, monkey do.

It's the school's fault, the Principal should be the one getting arrested. Poor kid, he could get traumatized by this experience... I mean a 10 years OLD getting arrested over NOTHING... What the hell is going to be his image of the world? Evil, pretentious, nasty, retarded, usually unfair...

[emmytee]

At 3/8/07 10:19 PM, TonioMiguel wrote: The truth is because of 9/11 many things that were considered "Boys will be Boys" have been thrown out. I am currently studying in Nevada the Teacher School law and it is pretty clear that penalty should fit the crime.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!
WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH 9/11!!!!

I don't usually like caps lock rants, but holy hell this deserves it. I mean, what, did Bin Laden tell him to do it? Was the teacher thinking of the twin towers falling when the fire alarm went off? Maybe the kid who dared him to do it was actually professor chaos, now working for Al Queda in an evil plot to set off elementary school fire alarms.....

[bcdemon]

What a bunch of paranoid freaks. Not only that, but holding the kid for 4 hours before notifying the parents? WTF is that about? I hope that prosecutor gets completely owned by the 10 year old and his eye witness. Not only that, but the records prove that it was in fact a teacher who set off the fire alarm. So the teacher should get 3 weeks jail time, no cooked meat for 2 months, and write a 3000 word essay everyday on why pulling fire alarms is bad.

[TheBlueBullet]

At 3/9/07 09:20 AM, bcdemon wrote:

:Not only that, but the records prove that it was in fact a teacher who set off the fire alarm. So the teacher should get 3 weeks jail time, no cooked meat for 2 months, and write a 3000 word essay everyday on why pulling fire alarms is bad.

Haha I know the kid gets a Class A demeanor for "intent" to pull the fire alarm but the staff member who pulled it gets off scott free. The thing is about this case is that they are trying to prosecute him because he was "intending" to pull it. I tell you though, I would bet that alot of parents are out outraged and that these administraters will not be working at that school for long. Either they will get kicked off by the board or by the parents themselves. The board will probably have no choice to remove the administaters that did this because whether or not this kid convicted, they will face lawsuits by the parents.

[MortifiedPenguins]

At 3/9/07 12:37 AM, Grammer wrote:

At 3/8/07 11:40 PM, TheBlueBullet wrote:

At 3/8/07 11:26 PM, Elfer wrote:

Anyone can work hard when you're being asked three times five, or how two pictures are different.

Everyone did great in the 6th grade.

Hell, I had straight A's.

But thats beside the point. He shouldn't get a sentence.

Detention yes, a talking to yes but not a felony.