Johnston School Board Not Playing Fair??

No, Liberty is still on board.

He has hinted that it was a plea deal on his twitter account, which i believe it was.

 

From Facebook....

Just wanted to thank the Johnston Co. DA. Today my 17 yr old son got to learn another lesson that his whole life he was taught differently-lie your way out of a situation to get where you need to be. In order for Cole Withrow (one of Brandon's best friends) to have the felony charges dropped or reduced that were against him he was MADE to sign a statement written by Susan Doyle for the press stating he had lied about certain parts of his statement.

This was written by Brandon's mother.

 

Ive seen this posted by a few others as well. That Susan Doyle forced his hand to drop the felony charge..

 

I won't apologize either. My opinion was based on the facts given. It is very disappointing that he has admitted to lying but I still think we don't have the whole story - which may or may not be good for Cole.

And I still believe there is a double-standard in the Johnston County public school system. I believe they protect their own and throw the rest to the wolves.

 

Absolutely. Get Cole taken care of and then no one cares any longer for the teacher there at Princeton that did the same thing and only got a slap on the wrist.

 

So, the video that the school has that shows he lied was, what, a fabrication too?

Fool me once, and all that.

 

Dunno. Never saw the video. Dont know who really has. If anyone. And if your next question is...Do you really believe the School Board and DA would make up the fact that they say they have video showing exactly what they are claiming, my answer is....yes.

 

So, in his statement, when Withrow talks about "the fact that they had evidence
that proved my statements wrong." (presumably the video), he was lying then as well?

Face it, at this point the kid could say the sky is blue and I'd have to open a window to check for myself.

 

The statement he read was prepared by the DA. Wether they had any evidence or not, i could not tell you.

I can tell you that in a case last year about a teacher and a student, the school board lied about evidence, lied about video tape and so on. We also believe in that case the DA has not been truthful about what they have.

Speaking from that past experience, i am skeptical about what the DA has in this case.

 

So he either lied earlier, or lied in court. Seems Mom may be an enabler for someone who got caught lying by the videotape.

Spent 25 years working in Prison, so I've heard that old story of the "DA made me" more times than I can even remember. Hopefully he's learned his lesson and he got off light with a misdemeanor conviction instead of felony.

 

Please enlighten us about this case from last year. You stated "I can tell you".

Who is "we"?

I don't have a dog in this fight, but your statement about lies being told sure looks like you are bordering on defamation. Libel, perhaps?

 

The Coach Mac case, wrestling teacher from Corinth Holders. The "we" are his supporters. The lies about what was seen on videotape, have already been shown to be false.

 

I found the "Coach Mac" thread. Sounds like you have an axe to grind (no pun) with the school system.

In any event, if I understand the last post in the thread, Coach Mac was found guilty. Are you suggesting this is another case of a "victim" admitting guilt so the school system looks better?

Coach Mac Thread:
http://www.4042.com/4042forums/showthread.php?t=35320

 

The victim being the teacher or the student in your question?

I do not see the Coach admitting guilt to make the board look better. He is no longer a teacher, nor any ties to JoCo so as far as i know, he has no desire to make the board look good.

 

From WTSB Radio Headline News:

"Cole Withrow, the student at the center of controversy for having a gun in his vehicle at Princeton High School, resulting in his arrest April 29, entered a guilty plea on Thursday.

Withrow, 18, appeared in probable cause court with his attorney, Frank Wood of Selma, and under a plea arrangement with District Attorney Susan Doyle, his felony charge of possession of a weapon on educational property was dropped to a misdemeanor. This will allow Cole to graduate at an alternative school and avoid having a felony on his record.

After the court hearing, Withrow released a statement saying he was not truthful to Principal Kirk Denning and Johnston County Sheriff’s School Resource Officer Adam Davis. The statement said Withrow knew the weapons were in his truck, he regretted not removing the weapons from the vehicle before going to school, and never meant to hurt anyone by his actions.

“I should have stopped the inaccuracies, and I did not. As a result, I think it is imperative that I now take responsibility for my own actions,” Withrow said in the statement. “I would like to apologize to Princeton High School Principal Kirk Denning, Johnston County Schools Superintendent Dr. Ed Croom and the Johnston County Board of Education. I recognize now that due to confidentiality laws, these individuals could not publicly respond to the inaccurate information despite the fact that they had evidence that proved my statements wrong. I am grateful that Dr. Croom modified the mandatory suspension to allow me to continue my studies, graduate and receive a diploma from the Johnston County School system. I will not pursue any appeal to the Johnston County Board of Education.”

“I would also like to apologize to the law enforcement, including Deputy Adam Davis, Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell and Johnston County District Attorney Susan Doyle for any stress or negative comments that have been posted because of the inaccurate information received. I understand these individuals were just doing the jobs they are there to do.”

To bolster the prosecution’s case, the weapon seized from Withrow was placed in an identical vehicle he drove to school on April 29 to show there was no way anyone operating the vehicle did not know the weapon was inside.

A hoodie was placed over the shotgun but it only covered the stock of the gun. The barrel from the trigger down remained exposed.

In addition to the photograph from the re-enactment, school surveillance cameras allegedly caught Withrow in at least four different lies. Cole reportedly remained untruthful until being presented with the video evidence.

Chief District Court Judge Andy Corbett told Withrow that based on the facts he heard Thursday, he could easily have been convicted of the felony he was originally charged with.

School Board Chairman Larry Strickland saying in part, “The main concern of the school system, aside from the education of the fine children in Johnston County, is for students and personnel’s safety in school… In the future, we would ask that the media and the public not jump to conclusions in student discipline and or criminal matters, especially when all the facts are not known.”


Whoops, here it is!

"In addition to the photograph from the re-enactment, school surveillance cameras allegedly caught Withrow in at least four different lies. Cole reportedly remained untruthful until being presented with the video evidence".

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive".

Still blame the DA, Sheriff Steve, and the JoCo School Board?

 

Tell you what. Make a deal with you. You start trusting the people you distrust the most...and lets not play dumb as to who that is....then ill start trusting the school board.

 

bunch of Sharptons and Jacksons here.. jump ugly at the on start facts come out no apologies on to the next big one

 

Homey can't play that game.

I have had my dealings with the JoCo School Board and school system, the JoCo Sheriff's Office, and the JoCo Courts. I can't say that I have much respect for the principals involved (no pun), but Cole Withrow brought all of this on himself. He got caught and then he lied. He kept digging that hole deeper and he is lucky that they did not bury him. I hope that he has learned a lesson. I wish him well.

 

It takes a certain level of maturity and class to admit a wrong and to apologize for it...but it is hard to do while patting yourself on the back for jumping to conclusions...so don't expect to see many on here.

 

Guess the Johnston County School Board Chairman heard enough from those jumping to conclusions without all the facts:

http://www.smithfieldherald.com/2013/05/25/2917245/chairman-responds-in-withrow-case.html


"The Johnston County Board of Education has received notice that student Cole Withrow has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of weapons on a school campus. Further, the board has received a written statement from Cole Withrow admitting that he did not tell the truth to the school principal or to the school resource officer who initially investigated the matter..."