Tag: school shooting

Prosecutor calls house arrest in Reno school shooting ‘crazy’:

Washoe County (Nev.) District Attorney Richard Gammick had some things to say about the light sentence Pine Middle School shooter James Scott Newman received…

Gammick said the sentence undermines efforts to keep guns out of schools.

“It sends an absolutely terrible message,” he told The Associated Press.

“Factually, this is a simple case. A kid takes a gun to school and shoots somebody he doesn’t even know and injures another kid and he gets put on house arrest? Give me a break,” he said.

“House arrest was not even on my radar scope,” Gammick said.

Gammick said his office has received a number of calls from parents concerned that Newman will end up at an area high schools next year.

“We have been preaching anti-guns and no weapons in school in all facets of law enforcement and in the school districts, and then we get a slap on the wrist for what happened here. This is crazy,” he said.

Of course, the criminal defense attorney sees it a different way…

David Houston, Newman’s lawyer, said Gammick was ignoring the facts.

Newman “was incarcerated for 2 1/2 months, so to suggest that he was being released with no consequences is absurd,” Houston said.

“We’re talking about a boy who never had so much as a sleep-over away from his house,” he said.

Houston said Newman made significant progress in counseling in past weeks, receiving therapy at least two times a week with a psychologist his parents hired.

“The state’s own experts said he moved from being a high risk to a low risk during that period of time,” he said.

This case has been a travesty of justice from the beginning. First, Newman was tried as a juvenile. Secondly, the parents are facing no charges because the gun was allegedly secured. And lastly, house arrest and community service for shooting two people is a joke.

Mr. Gammick is absolutely right. This is crazy.

Teen Gets House Arrest in Nev. Shooting:

RENO, Nev. — A 14-year-old boy who shot and injured two fellow middle school students was sentenced Friday to house arrest until he completes 200 hours of community service.

Prosecutors had recommended James Scott Newman, who pleaded guilty to battery with a deadly weapon, be placed in a state juvenile facility.

Washoe County Juvenile Court Master Janet Schmuck acknowledged she struggled with the sentence before she ordered to him to have electronic monitoring and 24-hour supervision at his parents home in Reno.

“If it does not work to the court’s satisfaction, James will be committed,” Schmuck said. “But I want to give James and his family an opportunity to make it work.”

Deputy District Attorney Jo Lee Wickes immediately appealed the sentence, saying it was not proper given the seriousness of the crime.

He shot two people and all he gets is an ankle bracelet and community service. The judge is living up to her last name.

Pine school shooting suspect to enter plea:

James Scott Newman, the 14-year-old gunman in the Pine Middle School shooting, has agreed to enter a plea this Friday and will be sentenced…

David Houston, the boy’s lawyer, said this was the best outcome.

“The family and James look forward to the opportunity to put his matter behind them by accepting responsibility for what he has done and ask the court for what they felt to be the appropriate penalty,” Houston said.

“The family and James continue to extend their apologies to the young people injured in this event and their families,” Houston said.

Since James is a juvenile, the details of the plea won’t be released until Friday.

Accused teen shooter’s release denied:

James Scott Newman, the 14-year-old Pine Middle School gunman in Reno, Nevada, had his request for release denied by a Nevada juvenile judge…

Juvenile Court Master Janet Schmuck said Friday that she ordered the detention of 14-year-old James Scott Newman during his initial hearing on March 20 because he was considered a danger to society.

“And I have not heard anything to change that,” Schmuck said.

Get your giggles out now over the judge’s name.

Of course, the defense and the prosecution have differing opinions…

Two psychologists, one appointed by the state and another hired by the family, evaluated Newman to determine whether he’s a safety risk. They came to different conclusions. The state-hired psychologist said Newman was a threat, while Earl Nielsen said the boy could safely be released.

Nielsen, who had been hired by the family, told the judge he had met with Newman several times and reviewed school reports and community letters. He found that although the boy may suffer from anxiety and depression, he does not suffer from any psychological disorders suggesting any new violent behavior.

“I don’t believe that James presents a high risk to the community,” Nielsen testified. “I don’t think he’s a danger to himself. I don’t think he’s a danger to others.”

Houston told the judge Newman’s family has outlined a plan for complete care and supervision round-the-clock should he be released, including therapy for the boy and his family, medical care, help from neighbors, education, and exercise.

But Wickes argued that Newman’s behavior before the incident, and the shooting itself, shows that he can’t be trusted.

Newman told one evaluator he had tried to get his brother to buy a carbon-dioxide cartridge for an air rifle, “so that (James Scott Newman) could harm more people when he ran out of bullets,” she said. And he had read information on the Internet about the Columbine High School shootings because “it helped inspire him.”

“He rejected using a .45-caliber because it was too complicated, and he described the 38 as his favorite gun,” Wickes said. “He rejected stabbing someone because he didn’t want all that blood on him.”

The trial has been set for June 22nd.

Reno boy denies charges in school shooting:

Is this the same as pleading not guilty?

A 14-year-old boy accused of wounding two classmates in a shooting at a Reno middle school has denied four charges against him and will face trial in June.

James Scott Newman sat quietly in a hearing before a juvenile court master as his lawyer entered the denial pleas for him.

How can someone who fired a gun in a crowded school hallway in front of dozens of witnesses deny the charges?

I can’t wait to hear the defense on this one.