Nee, Kerns heading to trial:
This is the first news we’ve hard out of Marshfield in a while. It basically just states that both Joe Nee and Toby Kerns are due back in court shortly for the charges filed against both of them for planning a Columbine-like attack against their school. But again, what kills me is what defense attorneys have to say. In this case, Joe Nee’s defense attorney, Thomas Drechsler…
Drechsler pointed out that while Toby Kerns has a criminal history, having been arrested on breaking and entering charges, and has been treated in a psychiatric facility, Nee has never been in trouble with a law or treated for mental illness.
Like I’ve said before, that’s great that Joe Nee doesn’t have a “criminal record”. His dad is a Boston cop. As much respect as I have for the police, I know that there is special treatment for family members of cops. It’s not that much of a stretch to think that Joe Nee has gotten out of trouble by saying his dad was a Boston cop.
The article refreshes our memory again on the whole situation…
Toby Kerns was arrested on Sept. 17, 2004 after Nee and two other teens, Joseph Sullivan and Daniel Farley, went to the police and said Kerns had hand drawn maps of the school, had looked up how to make bombs on the Internet and was trying to order guns. Nee told police that most of the information was kept in a black binder in a spare room at the Kerns home.
Police found the binder and evidence that Kerns’ computer had been used to look at Web sites like the Anarchist’s Cookbook, which explains how to make explosives.. Nee was arrested Oct. 18, 2004 after other students came forward with information implicating him in the plan.
Nee lived in the Kerns home for several weeks late last spring, and Toby’s father, Ben Kerns said he noticed the older boy seemed fascinated with Nazism and appeared to be a bad influence on his son. Ben Kerns said Nee stayed in the spare bedroom where the black binder was found.
Kerns claims Nee, not his son, created the maps of the school and looked at bomb making Web sites while he was staying in their home. But Nee’s attorney argued that the plan was Toby’s and his client went to police to prevent him from carrying it out.
What the article leaves out is that Joe Nee wore a t-shirt to school that had pictures of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold that said: “Remember the Heroes”. Joe Nee went to school for Halloween one year dressed as Eric Harris. Joe Nee was witnessed bringing a gun to school, even though it’s in doubt whether or not the gun was real.
The reason Joe Nee was staying at the Kernses’ was that he assaulted his father and his father threw him out. Toby Kerns did nothing like that. Like I’ve said before, it sounds like to me that Joe Nee went to the police before Toby Kerns could. It also sounds like to me that Joe Nee was the one planning this attack, and Toby decided to bail on the plan after he got help.
Not only that, but I received an e-mail today from someone in the Marshfield area who said there’s a rumor going around that a friend of Joe Nee’s was arrested for having a hit list and hand-drawn maps of Marshfield High.
As far as I’m concerned, Toby Kerns’ only crime was trusting Joe Nee and talking his dad into letting Joe Nee stay at their house. I only hope a jury can see that as well.
