Riverton High dad wants $250K -- says son's rights were violated

This is the case from Riverton, Kan., where five teenagers were accused of planning a school shooting at Riverton High. They were initially charged with felonies, but those were eventually dropped to misdemeanors. Four of them got a year's probation -- one beat the charge.

One of the student's dads is telling the county that he wants $250K in damages, or he'll file a federal lawsuit, the Joplin Globe reports. Snip:

Jaeger wrote in his letter that his son’s civil rights were violated when personnel from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department removed him from the high school and questioned him without him being apprised of his rights, or contacting his parents. He wrote that his son continued to be questioned even after an attorney had been arranged.

Jaeger wrote that his son’s school locker was searched without a search warrant. He wrote that Sheriff Steve Norman made comments — including that the students had created a “hit list” — that appeared in news reports nationwide and fueled bias toward his son.

Comments

[Quad Kings]

Who are you going to believe? This guy is looking for a windfall at the expense of the taxpayers. Shut him down!

[J D]

Sounds about right... small-time sheriff trying to make the headlines bends the law to his own advantage. Can't say I'm surprised one bit.

[doggydaddy]

Maybe Junior's civil rights were violated, but how did he sustain $250k of "injury"? The dipsticks who were responsible should be penalized in some fashion for their basic failure to follow simple policing and legal procedures, but a quarter mil from the taxpayers is just ridiculous. After all, Junior was part of the gang, even if their crime was just a misdemeanor. The dad is a greedy opportunist, and, as such, lower than whale dung.

[Joe S TheRagMan]

Okay, so he was questioned. He has rights and they were violated. Hold the trial and see what he's awarded - or not - by a jury.

The kid was planning another Columbine. Daddy's playing "my poor kid" and trying to make some bucks off of it.

I hope he gets $50 for his kid's "injury," but has to pay his own legal expenses.

Funny how daddy doesn't seem near as concerned about the people on the hit list as he is about how they got that info out of his kid.

Granted, the Sheriff probably bent the rules, but this could have easily be considered domestic terrorism. That puts sonny-boy into a whole new category with Homeland Security.

Lucky for him, his kid is only on probation.

[blarneology]

This kids rights were infringed upon. If what they were planning was so bad it would not have been reduced to a misdemeanor.

How do you put a fair market value on a right? Think of it this way folks what if it was your rights that were infringed upon? Remember the bill of rights were written to keep the government from stepping on them. If they aren't going to be held liable then who's to say they won't continue.

I don't know if it's worth all this money but someone needs to lose their job, someone needs to lose pay or something. Government should know damn well about peoples rights and not to infring upon them.

[Joe S TheRagMan]

I agree. If it was as bad as they tried to say, it wouldn't have been knocked down to a misdemeanor.

Wonder what the truth is about the whole thing....

[Keeping It Real]

And He said...

This kids rights were infringed upon. If what they were planning was so bad it would not have been reduced to a misdemeanor.

How do you put a fair market value on a right? Think of it this way folks what if it was your rights that were infringed upon? Remember the bill of rights were written to keep the government from stepping on them. If they aren't going to be held liable then who's to say they won't continue.

I don't know if it's worth all this money but someone needs to lose their job, someone needs to lose pay or something. Government should know damn well about peoples rights and not to infring upon them.

Posted by: blarneology | Tuesday, April 08, 2008 at 11:23 AM

Let me introduce you to the "PATRIOT ACT"!!!

Welcome to the NEW U.S.A. by way of your current President G.W. Bush!

[blarneology]

Keeping it real, that is just a very dumb post.

[blarneology]

Ragman, I would like to know more of the story also.

[bekman]

To be fair, it has been proven in court of law that elementary and high school students are not subject to the same "rights" as adults when placed in a school setting. Take note of "Bong hits for Jesus" and school censoring free speech. We also were explained 15 years ago that our lockers were not personal property, and were subject to search at any time. If you had something you didn't want found, better leave it in your car.

[Not Moose]

Riverton...? That's where Archie and Jughead gunned down that jerk Reggie?

Oh, that was RiverDALE?

"Bong Hits for Jesus" my fave Supremes hit.

(Supreme COURT, that is)