TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Tag: vault

  • Kittrell’s friends come to his defense

    Friends come to defense of WHS student online

    As expected in these cases, the friends of Robin Kittrell, the Georgia teen who brought an arsenal to the first day of school, are coming to his defense…

    Meanwhile, an online poster at The Citizen.com claiming to be one of Kittrell’s friends joined several other Whitewater students in defending his character but not the action he took.

    One poster, whose online handle is Matted, said that Kittrell had the guns in his car “for some months, maybe more, in school and out, school and summer.”

    “Were he going to use them to kill, he had PLENTY of opportunities,” the post continued. “And yes, he is paranoid, and he has a hero complex, but he planned nothing.”

    One Web poster defending Kittrell griped about all the mudslinging against the student.

    “Robin is a close friend and is one of if not the nicest and most chivalrous people I know,” user johnnycakes wrote. “He would never hurt anyone unless he or others were being endangered by a malicious force. Robin has never and would never display violent behaviors.”

    Web user sthrngrl wrote: “I saw him as the guy who always opened the door for me, lent me extra change when I didn’t have enough for a coke, always gave me gum before class, every day, and when he was not there he left some the day before for us. If he ever saw anyone being picked on, especially girls, he would politely ask the person to stop. He watched out for people, and he was a polite gentleman for a change.”

    If he is as paranoid as they say, then how long would it have been before he reacted against a perceived threat, even if it really wasn’t one?

  • Kittrell in Court

    Teen With Arsenal Goes to Court:

    Instead of attending his second day of school, a Fayette County high school senior was in court on Tuesday, after being arrested for bringing an arsenal of weapons to school.

    The arrest happened on Monday at Whitewater High School in Fayetteville.

    Authorities say 17-year-old Robin Kittrell drove to school with at least six weapons in his car.

    Kittrell says he didn’t intend to start a Columbine-like disaster, he had the weapons in case there was one. But law enforcement and school officials say they don’t buy that. He is facing nine felony charges and the immediate future in jail.

    “It had the potential to be incredibly disasterous – thank goodness the tip was received was acted on. Hats off to the tipster,” said Fayette County Police Captain Dwayne Prosser.

    Over the summer, a student told school officials that Kittrell had been seen with weapons at Whitewater High School the previous school year. On Monday, the first day of school this year, a school resource officer searched the high school senior, and found a switchblade knife.

    The officer then searched the trunk of Kittrell’s car and found more – handguns, a rifle, and a sword. While the guns were unloaded, the officer also found ammunition in the trunk.

    “I can think of no good reason to bring these weapons to school. We have to take it seriously,” said Fayette District Attorney Scott Ballard.

    Kittrell told authorities the weapons weren’t to cause violence, but to help prevent it.

    “He believed should a Columbine-style incident take place, that he could assist authorities until they arrived,” said Ballard.

    Um…yeah. Even if he honestly believed that, he’s delusional at best.

    After his arrest, investigators searched Kittrell’s home, and found a closet full of black clothes — trench coats, shirts, boots, and shoes. They also found video games investigators consider violent.

    Aw shit, not this again. It won’t be long before we’ll be hearing from Jack Thompson.

    As usual, the defense attorney provides some humor…

    The teenager’s lawyer says the courts will have to consider Kittrell’s spotless past and excellent record as a student.

    “We really think everything alleged against him now will fall by the wayside,” said defense attorney Brian Petterson.

    Petterson tried to convince a magistrate judge that Kittrell is not a threat. It didn’t work.

    The straight-A student, geography bee champion and member of the band will stay in jail for now. The grand jury isn’t expected to hear the case until this winter.

    “Your honor, just because my client showed up to school with enough weapons to make Rambo crap his pants that doesn’t make him a threat.”

    Yeah, I’m not surprised that didn’t work.

  • More on Robin Kittrell

    Student’s arsenal: Sniper rifle, ninja sword, 3 other guns, flex cuffs, 150 bullets:

    More on Robin Kittrell, the 17-year-old Georgia kid who was arrested for bringing an arsenal to school…

    A Whitewater High School senior who brought two rifles and two handguns to campus in his car on the first day of school Monday had access to guns at his home with parental approval, according to Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.

    Another deputy remembered the student complained often of being bullied while in middle school.

    I should have expected that.

    Did Robin Kittrell, 17, of Carrollwood Drive in south Fayette County intend to take hostages or shoot anyone? “We don’t know if he had it in his gut to do it or not, but he definitely had it in his head,” Jordan said.

    Deputies also discovered 25 “flex cuffs” in a utility belt, plastic ties that are normally used by police to bind the hands of suspects when regular handcuffs aren’t available, Jordan said.

    “That was what scared me the most,” said the chief detective, alluding to the possibility that the student may have intended to take hostages during an attack on the school.

    Kittrell, a member of the high school’s first senior class, was charged with six counts of possession of a weapon on school property and one count of possession of a concealed weapon after deputies found the sniper rifle, another rifle and a revolver inside his 1991 Volvo Monday morning. Officials also found more than 150 rounds of ammunition and a black outfit including a hood and military-style pants.

    Also found in Kittrell’s car was a pair of binoculars, a large “ninja” style sword at least three feet long and a belt that included two “speed loaders,” devices that are used to quickly reload a revolver with six shots, police said.

    The presence of all that gear left sheriff’s officials little doubt about Kittrell’s plan: to attack the school, Jordan said.

    Kittrell told detectives why he brought the weapons to school, but Jordan declined to divulge that information other than to say Kittrell’s story was “ludicrous.”

    In case you’ve forgotten, his excuse was that he was defending himself in case of a Columbine-like attack.

    Among the offensive gear found in Kittrell’s car was:

    • A .22-caliber Colt competition rifle;

    • A .30-cal. Carbine rifle;

    • A .38-cal. Colt six-inch revolver; and

    • A .22-cal. Colt competition semi-automatic handgun.

    All the guns had been owned by Kittrell’s grandfather, uncle and father, and they were taken from a gun safe at the family’s home, Jordan said.

    A search of the Kittrell home turned up nothing written in terms of any possible plans Kittrell had, but detectives seized his computer and will have it analyzed to see if it contains further evidence, Jordan said.

    The investigation began when school principal Greg Stillions got information that Kittrell had brought a weapon on campus, Jordan said. Stillions then called Kittrell to his office and had the student searched, turning up a switchblade knife, Jordan said. Campus officials then searched Kittrell’s vehicle where the weapons cache was found, Jordan added.

    More on this as info becomes available.

  • Student arrested on the first day of school

    Ga. Student Brings Guns to School:

    This must be some kind of record…

    FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A Fayette County high school senior was arrested on the first day of school after guns and other weapons were found in his car.

    Officials say the weapons were found in 17-year-old Robin Kittrell’s car yesterday at Whitewater High School.

    Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard says police found at least six weapons, including a carbine rifle, a switchblade and a sword.

    Impressive arsenal but this must be the best defense I’ve ever heard…

    Ballard says Kittrell told authorities he was trying to defend himself in case a Columbine type of attack took place at the school.

    I’m not saying that’s not true, but it is the first time I’ve ever heard that. How ironic.

    Kittrell faces six weapons charges and a seventh charge of carrying concealed weapons. And Ballard says that because he is under 18, authorities may also charge Kittrell with underage possession of weapons.

  • Runaway petition dropped against Katherine Lester

    Runaway petition dropped against Katherine Lester

    Prosecutors to drop runaway petition against teen:

    Another chapter in the ongoing drama of Katherine Lester…

    SCARO, Mich. (AP) — Prosecutors on Thursday agreed to withdraw a runaway juvenile petition they filed earlier this month against Katherine Lester, the Michigan teenager who flew to the Middle East to be with a man she met on the MySpace.com Internet site.

    The decision was part of an agreement reached between Lester, her parents and the Tuscola County prosecutor’s office that requires her to surrender her passport, finish high school, complete counseling and not leave the state without written consent from her parents or a court order.

    If Lester, 17, fails to comply with any of the terms, the prosecutor’s office may reauthorize the petition.

    Following her return, Lester had been living with her father, Terry, near Flint, in part to escape media attention following her trip. But Renee Wood, a lawyer who represents Katherine Lester’s mother, Shawn, said she stayed with her mother this week and will be back in shared custody.

    The teen is a member of the National Honor Society at Akron-Fairgrove Junior/Senior High School. Wood said Lester and her parents have not decided whether she will attend the school for her senior year next fall or go to a different high school.

    Katherine Lester and Jimzawi still talk online, and she has said she wants to marry him.

    Wood said Thursday that Shawn Lester is unhappy that the pair continue to communicate, but said she wants her daughter to make informed decisions about her future and to be honest with her.

    How long before she bolts again?

  • More words of wisdom from the Lesters

    More words of wisdom from the Lesters

    Teen’s Journey May Have Legal Consequences:

    More incredulous words from the ever-increasing spectacle that is the Katherine Lester situation…

    “Now that our relationship is out in the open, I feel like I don’t have to go there to talk to him or to be with him,” she continued. “I plan on him coming here and us being together over here.”

    Her father has declined requests from The Associated Press to interview his daughter but says her story should serve as a warning to families _ not about the dangers of the Internet but instead about the importance of good family communication.

    “She’s her same old self,” said Terry Lester. “She knows what she did was wrong and she’s willing to accept the responsibility.”

    In my opinion, it sounds like a grab for US citizenship. Not only that, if there was good family communication, she wouldn’t have run off to the Middle East in the first place. He sounds like one of those parents who is trying to be a friend rather than a parent.

  • An open letter to Katherine Lester

    An open letter to Katherine Lester

    I received a comment on my very first entry about Katherine Lester. I thought it made such a good point that I decided to share it with you. It’s from a commenter named Mary…

    If you know Katherine, please give her this message: I have a god-daughter who began dating a guy who was just like Katherine’s “soul-mate.” He’s handsome, a sweet-talker, said all of the right things, treated her great and said he could not imagine life without her. She kept their relationship a secret from me and married him behind my back, then wrote me a letter & brought it to me, telling me about their marriage. What a betrayal….what a hurt! Though she is not my birth daughter, I love her as if she were and pray for her, always. Several weeks later, the mask came off: He was not Italian (as he had been telling her) he was a Muslim and demanded that she convert, or else. She refused. All Hell broke loose, including physical fights, destruction of her property (her car, clothes and condo) and finally, threats of death. After many bizarre and scary months, she was able to get the marriage annulled. (He refused to have sex with her unless she converted). The threats continued, however, for a year or so after the annulment. Katherine and her parents need to understand Islamic customs and practices. Once she marries this guy, she will no longer have a voice of her own – Islamic women are seen & not heard, and speak only when spoken to. Going from a woman young woman accustomed to personal freedoms to a nameless non-entity will no doubt be Katherine’s undoing, unless she is prepared for that type of sacrifice. She has entered very dangerous waters that may appear placid on the surface, but underneath lurks a turbulence that will have very harmful effects on both her and her family. (I know – I’ve been there with my beautiful god-daughter) and would not wish this experience on ANYONE. The fact that he asked her or allowed her to violate her parents trust, speaks volumes about him. Tell Katherine that true love would never ask nor allow her, to violate the love of her parents. I’m praying for Katherine and her family.

    Granted, it’s only one person’s story, but it’s still a real possibility.

  • Lester still plans to marry Psycho

    Lester still plans to marry Psycho

    Teen Plans to Marry Middle East Man She Met on Myspace.com:

    Oh, cut me a break…

    GILFORD, Mich. A teenager who flew to the Middle East to be with a man she met on MySpace.com said Friday she intends to marry him.

    “I love him very much,” 17-year-old Katherine Lester said of Abdullah Jimzawi, 20, who works in his father’s business delivering goods to West Bank convenience stores.

    Lester appeared on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” with her father and stepmother. Jimzawi also spoke with ABC during a taped portion of the segment, describing how the pair “can’t live without each other.”

    After hearing what Jimzawi said, Lester began weeping.

    “It’s true,” she said. “I love you. That’s all I can say.”

    The two have resumed communication online since she returned home.

    “Our initial reaction was to isolate her, to lock her up and just keep her safe here in America,” said her father, Terry Lester. “But that’s unrealistic because you can see the love they have for each other.”

    Ok, I can honestly say that her father is an idiot.

    How many of us that are in our 30s can look back and say we were honestly in love at 17? I can’t. How about you?

  • As Mid-Michigan Turns

    As Mid-Michigan Turns

    New details come in Katherine Lester case:

    MID MICHIGAN (WJRT) – (06/22/06)–There were new developments Thursday in the case of Katherine Lester. The Mid-Michigan teen flew halfway around the world two weeks ago to meet with a Palestinian man she met on MySpace.com.

    Thursday her mother’s attorney asked a judge to rescind a decision made Monday in which her father was granted temporary custody.

    That petition was filed in Tuscola County’s Family Division of Judicial Court Thursday morning.

    The judge in the case, Judge W. Wallace Kent, denied the petition, and she will remain with her father until a hearing is scheduled.

    In the petition, Lester’s mother’s attorney states numerous reasons of why she should be returned to the custody of her mother.

    One of those reasons is an interview ABC12’s Bill Harris had with Lester, her father and stepmother.

    Am I just dense? Because I don’t remember any article mentioning her parents were divorced. Not that it matters. But if this situation was a television show, I’d turn it off for being too corny.

  • More on Katherine Lester’s legal woes

    More on Katherine Lester’s legal woes

    Michigan teenager involved in Web romance charged with being a runaway:

    She’s not being criminally charged, but this article clarifies some things regarding Katherine Lester…

    DETROIT — Authorities have filed a runaway juvenile petition against a Michigan teenager who flew to the Middle East to be with a man she met on the MySpace.com social networking Internet site.

    The paperwork was filed Monday in Tuscola County Family Court by the county sheriff and prosecutor against Katherine Lester of Gilford, said Kyle Jaskula, the court administrator.

    At a hearing on Monday, Judge W. Wallace Kent Jr. ordered Lester to give up her passport and undergo counseling. He did not rule on the validity of the petition, and further hearings have not been scheduled.

    If the judge finds that Lester is a runaway, she could be placed under court supervision until she turns 18. Such supervision usually means she would be monitored by a probation officer and made to undergo counseling, Jaskula said.

    The petition is not a criminal offense, Jaskula said Tuesday.

    So it’s like being on parole but without having committed any crimes. And for those of you who are whining that it’s not fair, then she should have thought of that before she ran away.

    Think about it for a second. If they had succeeded in getting married, do you know what kind of international incident this would have caused? She should be thankful that she was stopped before they did.

    And here’s some advice from Ol’ Uncle Trench to the teenagers who are supporting them. 99.999% of the time, the guy or girl you date at 16 will NOT be the person you spend the rest of your life with.

    Get over it.