High School student arrestsed for bringing homemade clock to school.

[pryncess527]

Oh, and while the pictures make it hard to tell without objects for size reference, -- but the clock was not inside a briefcase. it's a child's PENCIL case. It's 8x5 inches.

And has a plug. I've never seen a movie bomb that had to be plugged in.

 

[JaxDad]

They knew he was on the robotics team. So it's not like they were completely ignorant to his interest in building things.

I don't know what they knew. I was just offering that he may not have been at that school very long.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

Oh, and while the pictures make it hard to tell without objects for size reference, -- but the clock was not inside a briefcase. it's a child's PENCIL case. It's 8x5 inches.

And has a plug. I've never seen a movie bomb that had to be plugged in.

I am also confused on how it went off while in English class without being plugged in.

 

[JaxDad]

If it did go off without being plugged in, then there was likely a 9-volt battery attached at the time. You can see the connector in the photo (no battery when the photo was taken).

 

[FlightlessDuck]

And has a plug. I've never seen a movie bomb that had to be plugged in.

That would certainly make it easier to stop.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

If it did go off without being plugged in, then there was likely a 9-volt battery attached at the time. You can see the connector in the photo (no battery when the photo was taken).

I did not notice that.

 

[Dawnlight]

The chief of police has verified that the MINOR CHILD was handcuffed, transferred to a juvenile detention center, fingerprinted, and questioned WITHOUT HIS PARENTS.

I struggle to think of any information at all that would justify interrogating a MINOR CHILD before his parents were able to arrive and be present.

I would be rip-roaring pissed if this happened to my kids. I make sure my kids know their rights and under no circumstances should they speak to police (or even school administration or teachers) if they are being questioned.

People in positions of authority should not take advantage of kids who might not know their constitutional rights.

My nerdy son, who does NOT express himself well, would probably have given mono-syllabic answers and then gotten really, really angry when he wasn't believed. For all his nerd ways, my son DOES have a bit of a temper, which displays itself only when he is pushed beyond all reasonable limits. He lacks the JUDGMENT to know when it is ok, and no ok, to lose his temper and how to do express himself properly. Gee, he's a teenager. No surprise there.

This is how my geeky guy is, too. I do hope that if he's ever faced with a circumstance where he's being interrogated that he'd have the presence of mind to just stay quiet other than requesting either his parents and/or lawyer be present.

 

[CPanther95]

I would be rip-roaring pissed if this happened to my kids. I make sure my kids know their rights and under no circumstances should they speak to police (or even school administration or teachers) if they are being questioned.

That's sad to teach kids not to speak to police, but it's even sadder that it really is necessary. The fact of the matter is that the police don't question you to try and clear you, they are questioning only to seek out wrongdoing. You can't really improve your position by telling the police something, you can only possibly incriminate yourself.

 

[PlutoPony]

That's sad to teach kids not to speak to police, but it's even sadder that it really is necessary.

One thing that other parents emphasized to me was to make sure my son understood this, especially prior to him turning 18. Kids need to know how much a change it is for them legally to be 18 years old and how to "protect" themselves legally. I hate to even type this but it's true for "good" kids as well as those who have been in trouble in their past. And being right and innocent isn't always the bottom line, a lot can happen on the way to proving that.

 

[TLSnell1981]

If this kid had been white, this never would have happened.If it was Jimmy MacDonald...

I disagree, that this would have NEVER happened to "Jimmy MacDonald". Although, it wouldn't have made national news, nor would he be invited to the White House.

 

[DisneyOma]

Creativity/ingenuity - I thought he just copied something he had seen online? Did he invent a new clock?

 

[Dawnlight]

One thing that other parents emphasized to me was to make sure my son understood this, especially prior to him turning 18. Kids need to know how much a change it is for them legally to be 18 years old and how to "protect" themselves legally. I hate to even type this but it's true for "good" kids as well as those who have been in trouble in their past. And being right and innocent isn't always the bottom line, a lot can happen on the way to proving that.

Oh yes; this is on my mind a lot lately as my oldest turns 18 next month. (How the heck did that happen?!)

 

[mnrose]

Creativity/ingenuity - I thought he just copied something he had seen online? Did he invent a new clock?

Probably wasn't "new" but I'd rather have a teenager who is INTERESTED enough in "how stuff works" to try to build his own, rather than simply running out to target or walmart and buying one. A kid who is interested is a kid who is going places.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

I built a clock when I was in high school *many* years ago. I brought it in to show the physics teacher. It didn't look all that different from the one in the picture. Some of the kids even jokingly called it "the bomb". I'm fortunate I never got arrested. Then again, I was a cute little blue-eyed blondie with one of the most all-american names you can think of. My last name was even referenced earlier in this thread as one that would never get arrested for building a clock.

 

[Disneychick75]

I thought this thread could use a little light heartedness

If it works like my MIL's Jaguar, the rocket will either tip over or shoot into the ground.

 

[Ceila]

Creativity/ingenuity - I thought he just copied something he had seen online? Did he invent a new clock?

What?? Creative people don't just jump directly to inventing something new. How do you think creative and ingenious people get their start? They learn, and they often learn by re-creating existing things.

 

[CPanther95]

I built a clock when I was in high school *many* years ago. I brought it in to show the physics teacher. It didn't look all that different from the one in the picture. Some of the kids even jokingly called it "the bomb". I'm fortunate I never got arrested. Then again, I was a cute little blue-eyed blondie with one of the most all-american names you can think of.

We have far too limited resources to focus on every possible threat.

I've got no problem if we, as a country, don't waste those few resources monitoring blue-eyed blondes with the notion that one of them might be able to conceive, plan and execute a terrorist plot against the US. Partly because I imagine it is a statistically low risk group, but mainly because I suspect almost all will cease to be a threat sometime during the suicide bombing practice stage.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

We have far too limited resources to focus on every possible threat.

I've got no problem if we, as a country, don't waste those few resources monitoring blue-eyed blondes with the notion that one of them might be able to conceive, plan and execute a terrorist plot against the US. Partly because I imagine it is a statistically low risk group, but mainly because I suspect almost all will cease to be a threat sometime during the suicide bombing practice stage.

Hey I resemble that remark!!!

No seriously, I think my national merit scholar self could figure out how to blow myself up appropriately - so ....... um...

never mind.

 

[mnrose]

We have far too limited resources to focus on every possible threat.

I've got no problem if we, as a country, don't waste those few resources monitoring blue-eyed blondes with the notion that one of them might be able to conceive, plan and execute a terrorist plot against the US. Partly because I imagine it is a statistically low risk group, but mainly because I suspect almost all will cease to be a threat sometime during the suicide bombing practice stage.

You mean like this guy:

Cute kid. Blue eyed. Blonde. Killed a WHOLE bunch of people in Oklahoma City. I'd venture to say way more dangerous than a kid with a digital clock in a pencil case.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

You mean like this guy:

Cute kid. Blue eyed. Blonde. Killed a WHOLE bunch of people in Oklahoma City. I'd venture to say way more dangerous than a kid with a digital clock in a pencil case.

I think CPanther was making a somewhat oblique attempt at a dumb blonde joke.

I think.

But I'm blonde so I'm not really sure.