"If it Bleeds, it Leads..."

Boy, 13, Busted For Illegal Marker Possession


Ever vigilant in keeping the world safe from Sharpies

DECEMBER 22--A 13-year-old boy was arrested Friday for using a permanent marker while in class at his Oklahoma City middle school, a violation of an obscure city ordinance.

According to an Oklahoma City Police Department report, the boy was spotted “in possession of a permanent marker” by Roosevelt Middle School teacher DeLynn Woodside. The 50-year-old educator told cop Miguel Campos that the student was “writing on a piece of paper, which caused it to bleed over onto the desk.”

May I see a show of hands: How many 13 year olds are well versed on all the ordinances of the localities in which they reside? Anyone? Anyone at all??

His 50 year old teacher, with less sense than God gave geese, had the kid arrested for accidentally marking up his desk. Wow! Oklahoma City can certainly sleep safe tonight!

Whatever happened to "first offense"? Presumption of innocence?? Kids make mistakes??? Teachers who actually know how to teach???? Ms. Broadside, er, Woodside, could have taken the moment to instruct her student about the cost of carelessness. I suppose she could have informed her principal (I almost wrote "principle". None of those involved here! ) and had the kid's parents informed of the cost of the cleanup (if any) and asked them to pay for it. No. She calls the cops.

Now if the kid were an habitual offender or did this on purpose, that might have been an appropriate response. (No, not really, but I'm trying to get her the benefit of the doubt.) But, there is no indication that that was the case. So she wastes valuable police and court resources (and perhaps some of her own nonproductive classroom time) to escalate this matter far beyond its reasonable consequences.

Another case of Zero tolerance run amok resulting from an abundance of zero common sense.

H/T Memeorandum