| Newspapers; 3/21/06 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 21 2006, 06:45 AM (194 Views) | |
| NFarquharson | Mar 21 2006, 06:45 AM Post #1 |
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From the Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...41/1026/SCHOOLS Tuesday, March 21, 2006 Students talk with a Oakland County Sheriff's Office patrol at Rochester High School on Monday. Absenteeism was high. Rochester student charged in 'Columbine' terror threat Senior, 18, is jailed as security is stepped up at school Monday; second message found Saturday. Mike Martindale, Valerie Olander and Edward Cardenas / The Detroit News Security was beefed up at the school Monday after written threats were discovered last week on the school walls and a door. An 18-year-old student has been charged in one incident. See full image ROCHESTER HILLS -- The 18-year-old Rochester High senior accused of scrawling a message on a bathroom wall at the school promising "Columbine Part Two" told detectives the action was directed at anyone. "He told investigators he wanted to cause a little panic," Oakland County Sheriff's Capt. Robert Smith said. Daniel Ray Davis Jr., accompanied by his parents, was charged Monday in Rochester Hills District Court with making a false report or threat of terrorism. Police said Davis wrote the threat last week that he had a gun and planned an incident at Rochester High on Monday. The charge is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000. He is being held in the Oakland County Jail on $100,000 cash bond. "Whether a person is capable, has the means or intends to act out the threat is not a defense," said Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca. "… The bottom line is it invokes terror. And this threat has caused widespread panic and concern in Rochester Hills." A second threat, written with a felt pen, was found across one of the high school's doors Saturday morning, prompting the cancellation of a Sadie Hawkins dance planned for that night. Investigators believe the two threats were made by different people. School officials said Davis would be excluded from school pending the outcome of the investigation. He could face expulsion. A conviction can also carry reimbursement of government expenses incurred by such offenses. In Rochester, that could be considerable since it has involved special night meetings with parents, many investigators working day and night, bomb-sniffing dogs and other precautions. "We never felt there was a high level of risk here, but that doesn't mean (the threats) weren't given a high priority," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, who was at the school Monday to supervise enhanced security measures. Fear of the worst prompted abnormally high absenteeism at the school Monday, Rochester Community Schools spokeswoman Debra Hartman said. About 60 percent of Rochester High's 1,773 students did not attend classes. Normal absenteeism is 15 percent. Hartman said because of student and parent concerns over the unusual circumstances, the absences would be excused. Fiona Turett, a 17-year-old Rochester High senior, had a government class with Davis last year and said he never caused problems. Turett didn't attend school on Monday. "He didn't speak up much in a negative or positive way," Turett said. The high school has 388 students in its senior class. Turett was stunned to see Davis' name connected with the threats. "I was pretty surprised because he had been quiet," she said. "But I would have been surprised regardless of whom it was." Concerns about school security also surfaced Monday at Pinckney Community High School in Livingston County, where last week Principal James Darga alerted police to a scrawled message on a cinderblock wall in a boys bathroom that claimed a bomb would go off at noon on Monday. Only two entrances were open at the school, and parent volunteers, teachers and police checked students' book bags, musical instrument cases and anything else that could carry an explosive device. Nothing suspicious was found, said Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte. In Macomb County Juvenile Court on Monday, a 16-year-old Warren boy waived the readings of the charges that he was planning an attack on Center Line High School. The teen, whose name is not being released, is charged with terrorism in a murder threat against the high school's public safety officer and a threat to kill students by bombing the school cafeteria. Sal Palombo, the boy's attorney, said his client "maintains his innocence" and successfully requested that he receive a psychological evaluation. In another Macomb County case, a 12-year-old Clinton Township girl has pleaded no contest to a charge of a making a terrorist threat against Wyandot Middle School. Detroit News Staff Writer Eric Lacy contributed to this report. You can reach Mike Martindale at (248) 647-7226 or mmartindale@detnews.com. |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 21 2006, 06:54 AM Post #2 |
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From the Free Press: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...EWS03/603210379 Oakland County Student, 18, is charged in threat Other actions put schools on alert March 21, 2006 BY FRANK WITSIL and LORI HIGGINS FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER Daniel R. Davis Jr. threatened a massacre, police say. Other recent school threats Feb. 23: Two Riverview Community High School students were expelled, accused of penning a rap song about a Columbine-like massacre. The song was circulated during the school year. No warrants were signed for the students' arrest because there was no apparent intent to commit a crime. Feb. 15: A 12-year-old Clinton Township girl, a student at Wyandot Middle School, pleaded no contest to charges that she used a computer to commit a false act of terrorism. The girl, charged as a juvenile, was accused of telling friends through instant messages that she planned to bomb the school. Feb. 10: Two Dearborn High School students, 15 and 16, were taken to the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility on misdemeanor charges of making a threat on an Internet site. The teens admitted that they had posted messages describing shooting kids at the school. The district suspended the teens. March 23, 2005: Mark O'Berry, 14, of White Lake Township was charged as an adult with threatening terrorism and pleaded guilty. The teen made a list of people police said he planned to kill, including students, teachers, administrators, two police officers and his mother. His probation ended earlier this year. Oct. 5, 2004: An 18-year-old student at Mott High School in Waterford was suspended after writing a threatening note that suggested he would take his own life. It also included five names, which the teen called a hit list. Other students turned the note over to authorities. The teen was not charged. Sept. 16, 2004: Andrew Osantowski, 17, was arrested, and a cache of weapons was found in his Clinton Township home after an e-mail acquaintance in Idaho turned over violent messages. Police said the teen was planning a massacre at Chippewa Valley High School in Clinton Township. He was convicted in 2005 of making a terrorist threat and pleaded guilty to three counts of receiving and concealing stolen weapons. Frank Witsil A Rochester High School senior who police said admitted to scrawling a menacing message in a restroom at the school because he wanted to cause a panic and get a long weekend was arrested Monday. Daniel R. Davis Jr., 18, of Rochester Hills was arraigned in 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills before Judge Nancy Carniak and charged with making a false report or threat of terrorism. He threatened to bring a gun to school on Monday and start a massacre that he called Columbine Part Two, police said. For some parents who were afraid to let their children attend school Monday, the arrest was a relief. However, police said the message found Wednesday sparked another threat at the Rochester Hills school. On Monday, detectives were seeking the person who threatened mayhem at a dance Saturday. Police said the person is not connected to Davis. Davis is being held in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $100,000. His preliminary examination is set for March 29 before Judge Julie Nicholson. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $20,000, plus reimbursement for government expenses. On Monday, Oakland County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Deborah Carley said the terrorism charge, which is less than 5 years old, has been seldom applied in Oakland County but is appropriate in this case because Davis terrorized the school and nearby communities. "What confuses people with the charge is 'terrorism,' " Carley said. "People associate terrorism with Sept. 11, but terrorism means to incite terror in people, which is what he did. "Seven hundred people didn't come to school today because of what he did. "You can't play jokes like that." Last week, two 15-year-olds -- one from Troy and one from Rochester Hills -- were charged as juveniles in Oakland County with violating a weapons-free school zone by bringing a homemade bomb to Troy High School on Feb. 2, Carley said. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Juveniles, however, are usually sentenced to probation. The teens did not threaten violence and said they planned to use the bomb as a film prop, Carley said. Had they threatened to hurt someone, they also would have been charged with terrorism. Threats were also supposed to be carried out Monday at Pinckney High School in Livingston County. Security was tightened in response to a bomb threat that was left on a bathroom wall, principal Jim Darga said. Access to the school was limited to two entrances Monday, and the 1,538 students and more than 100 staff members were searched as they entered, Darga said. No contraband or bombs were found, he said. Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte said four canine units swept the 350,000-square-foot building on Sunday evening but found no evidence of a bomb. An officer patrolled the campus overnight, he said. In Rochester Hills, Michael Kemnitz, Davis' attorney, argued against bond, saying that the teen works an after-school job and that his parents, who are unemployed, probably could not post bond if it were set high. Kemnitz also said Davis' parents voluntarily removed two long guns from their home. Both parents sat in court, holding their heads in their hands. At times, they appeared to weep. They declined comment through their attorney. Police said Davis has a previous conviction of retail theft in Macomb County but did not offer details. Police said the message scribbled on the school's bathroom wall read: "On Monday, March 20 I'll bring a gun to school. It will be Columbine Part Two. This is your only warning." The Columbine reference presumably was to the Columbine High School massacre that occurred on April 20, 1999, near Denver. Police said their investigation quickly focused on Davis, who apparently told others he wrote the message. The Rochester school district sent home letters Friday warning students and parents about the threat and saying that security would be enhanced at the school. Authorities searched the school and found no weapons. On Monday, only 40% of the 1,773 students showed up for class, compared with 85% on a typical day, said Debbi Hartman, spokeswoman for the school district. She said students' movements were restricted Monday -- with seniors not being able to leave the building for lunch as normal -- and that Davis will face school discipline that could be as serious as expulsion. "In the end, this will come out to be a prank that was not intended to bring harm," Hartman said. Max Braun, a 15-year old sophomore, was one of the students who stayed home. He and a friend, Nick Rowland, also 15, spent some of the day riding their bikes not far from where Davis was being arraigned. Max said his parents left it up to him to decide whether he wanted to attend school Monday. Nick said his father, Tom Rowland, prohibited him from going. Tom Rowland of Rochester Hills said he kept his son out of school as a precaution. He said he was pleased with the way the school kept him up-to-date with information and was satisfied with the security measures taken. Still, he said, he did not want to take any chances by sending his son to school. However, Andrew Stimetz, 16, a junior, did attend classes. "I knew it was a prank," he said, "and my mom wanted me to go to school." Contact FRANK WITSIL at 248-351-3690 or witsil@freepress.com, or LORI HIGGINS at 248-351-3694 or lhiggins@freepress.com. Staff writer Maryanne George contributed to this report. _________________________________________ http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article.../603210360/1005 Oakland County NEWS IN A MINUTE: Oakland County March 21, 2006 OAK PARK: Woman sues school officials in son's abuse case The mother of a boy thought to have been sexually assaulted by a teacher at Key Elementary School in Oak Park has filed a lawsuit against several school officials, claiming the district was negligent. The woman filed the lawsuit March 14 against the Oak Park Board of Education, board President William Parker, Key Elementary Principal Brenda Snow, Superintendent Sandra Harris and James Norman Perry, who has been charged with sexually assaulting the woman's son and another boy last fall. Both boys were 5. The suit, which seeks more than $25,000 in damages, claims that the district is liable for Perry's acts and says that he should have been properly investigated before being hired. The lawsuit has been assigned to Oakland County Circuit Judge Deborah Tyner. Perry has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He's due back in court in Pontiac for a preliminary examination hearing at 8:30 a.m. April 13. By Gina Damron ROCHESTER: Learn tonight how to keep kids safe on the Web Parents looking to help their children navigate the Web safely can check out Rochester Community Schools' presentation on Internet safety from 7 to 9 tonight. The free program, called "The Dark Side of the Web: What parents must know to keep their families safe," is presented by the Rochester PTA Council and will be held at the district's administration building, 501 W. University Drive in Rochester. The program will address issues such as the use of the MySpace.com Web site, instant messaging, file sharing and cyber-bullying. By Cecilia Oleck COUNTY-WIDE: Mountain bikers urged to stay off thawing trails The head of Michigan's statewide club of mountain bikers is warning bikers to stay off the trails for the next two weeks or so. Riding on thawing trails carves deep ruts and does vegetation damage that accelerates erosion all year, said Todd Scott, executive director of the Royal Oak-based Michigan Mountain Biking Association. The problem is acute in Oakland County, where countless mountain bikers share 120 miles of single-track trails. For updates on trail conditions, check www.mmba.org. By Emilia Askari ________________________________ http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article.../603210359/1005 Oakland County Project to unite students and city Oak Park teens can learn to build March 21, 2006 BY GINA DAMRON FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER Come this fall, some Oak Park High students may have a chance to take their schoolwork out of the classroom and into the workforce. The Oak Park Business and Education Alliance -- in conjunction with the city -- hopes to enlist students to help rebuild part of a dilapidated building on Coolidge in Oak Park this fall. "It gives them an opportunity, one, to work with tools and have professional experience with people working in the building trade," said Oak Park High School Principal Stan Trompeter. "They're going to have an opportunity rebuilding half of a building basically from scratch." The students, who would be enrolled in the school's building trades class, would help reconstruct a residential duplex that caught fire three years ago, said City Administrator Jim Hock. But they still need to find funding. He didn't say how much the reconstruction would cost, but said the alliance and city recently were turned down for a $25,000 state grant. Lori Fidler, executive director of the alliance, said some local companies have committed to donating supplies, equipment and parts. Also, the alliance and city are looking to apply for other grants, she said. Greg Beatty, building trades instructor at the high school, said the project would do two things: give the students training and help minorities break into the business. He said there likely would be 30 students, some of whom are minority students, involved in the project. "If you take a look around on any job site, it's primarily white," Beatty said, adding that the program would "show these kids that with a pickup truck, a ladder and some paintbrushes, you could actually make a living." Trompeter said the school has been pushing to have more college-prep classes, but that curriculum doesn't reach all students. "We want to make sure we're looking at every career pathway," he said. Hock said the project would be profitable for the city and the alliance. "The goal is to rebuild the other half, sell it and get it back on the tax rolls," he said, adding that a family currently lives in the side of the duplex that was unaffected by the fire, but half of the building needs to be rebuilt. Hock said that some of the profits from the sale of the home will go to the alliance, which could use that money for similar projects in the future. "This could happen again tomorrow, where a house burns down and somebody just abandons the property," Hock said. Oak Park Mayor Gerald Naftaly said the project would be a good way to give the teens experience while eliminating an eyesore in the city. "It's a valid project," he said, adding that it brings "the students and the city together." Contact GINA DAMRON at 248-351-3293 or gdamron@freepress.com. |
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