Tag: Whitewater High School

  • Kittrell denied early release

    Judge declines to release student on gun case:

    One of the more bizarre stories I’ve posted about in the past few years was that of Robin Kittrell. He was the student from Whitewater High School in Georgia who brought an arsenal of weapons to the school in order to prevent a school shooting.

    During his trial, he claimed that he left the weapons in his car accidentally for a trip that he was going on. I don’t know what kind of trip requires two rifles, two handguns, and a sword but whatever.

    Kittrell pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to two years in a detention center.

    Kittrell received his GED in detention and has requested an early release. The judge has denied that request stating that he would like to see Kittrell receive his high school diploma while in detention before considering early release.

    While I think that Kittrell should have been sentenced to detention it may be for the best since he’s still receiving an education.

    I hope he’s also receiving mental health treatment as well.

  • Robin Kittrell wants early release

    Student who brought weapons to school wants out of detention:

    If you’ve been following this site for a while you may remember the story of Robin Kittrell. He was the teen from Whitewater High School in Georgia who brought a cache of weapons to school on the first day of classes allegedly to prevent a Columbine-line situation from happening.

    The weapons cache consisted of…

    …a 4-inch switchblade knife discovered in Kittrell’s front jeans pocket. Among the weapons were a a Colt .38 Officer’s Model revolver, a Colt semi-automatic 22 pistol, an M1 30 caliber carbine rifle, a 22 caliber long-range rifle, a Ninja-style sword, flex-cuffs, and two speedloaders for the revolvers.

    He pleaded guilty to the charges against him and was sentenced to 10 years which consists of boot camp, two years in juvenile detention, one year of intensive probation and the rest on normal probation.

    Kittrell’s attorney is requesting an early release for him and to be treated as a first offender. First offender status would allow Kittrell to have his record cleared after completion of his sentence.

    The prosecution opposes both requests.

    The judge will rule on the requests once Kittrell himself appears in court.

    As much as I feel for the kid he shouldn’t be released until he at least completes any psychological counseling that the court ordered.

  • Robin Kittrell sentenced

    Kittrell, 17, sentenced to 10 months detention:

    Robin Kittrell, the 17-year-old who was arrested for bringing guns to school in order to prevent a Columbine, has been sentenced. Kittrell has been sentenced to youth boot camp for 3 to 4 months, then 3 to 6 months in a detention center. Then, when he’s released, he’ll get a year on intensive probation, followed by nine years of regular probation.

    Now, this is an actual example of where a kid needs help and not too much jail time. His intention was not to hurt, but to protect. He just went about it in a misguided way.

    I hope at least that he’s able to get help somewhere.

  • Kittrell pleads guilty

    Student pleads to weapons violations:

    Will wonders never cease? Robin Kittrell, the Georgia teen who brought guns to school allegedly to prevent a Columbine-like attack, has actually pleaded guilty to six counts of possession of a weapon on school property, one count of carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of underage possession of a firearm. Not only that, but no deal was struck along with the plea.

    This is the kind of the kid who deserves help. Not the kid who shoots up his school or kills his family. It’s obvious to me that this kid had good intentions but incredibly bad judgment. It’s not too late for him.

  • Robin Kittrell out on bond

    Student who brought guns to school out on bail:

    Robin Kittrell is the 17-year-old who brought an arsenal of weapons to the first day of school at Whitewater High School in Georgia. He claimed that the weapons were for preventing a Columbine-type attack.

    Well, he got out of jail this past weekend on a $150K bond.

    After his arrest Aug. 7 at Whitewater High School, Kittrell told authorities he was trying to defend himself in case a “Columbine kind of thing” took place at school. Police found at least six weapons, including a carbine rifle, a switchblade and a sword, in his car.

    Authorities said they found no evidence he was planning an attack on the school.

    School officials said Kittrell was a good student with no history of disciplinary problems. He will finish his senior year by homeschooling.

    Requests for bond had been denied because District Attorney Scott Ballard said he was concerned about Kittrell’s mental health. Defense attorney Lee Sexton said the teenager has received “much-needed” counseling while in jail.

    WHS student now out on house arrest in gun case:

    And according to this article, Kittrell is under house arrest and may only leave the house for medical or psychological treatment. He has also been barred from school grounds.

  • Today’s lesson in journalism

    School’s weapons incident reviewed:

    Hey kids. Uncle Trench here.

    A long, long time ago, even before your Uncle Trench was born, newspapers used to actually report the news instead of trying to manufacture it.

    For example, take this quote from the august and esteemed Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Robin Kittrell, the 17-year-old who was arrested for bringing an arsenal to school allegedly to prevent a Columbine-like situation…

    The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has found some discrepancies in administrators’ accounts of what occurred the day Fayette County sheriff’s deputies carted away Robin Kittrell, who remains in jail on nine weapons violations, including six felonies.

    When asked about the tip the day after the arrest, for example, Whitewater principal Greg Stillions said he was notified by a central office administrator that the 17-year-old senior might have “knives and guns.”

    Later, that administrator, through a spokeswoman, said the tipster mentioned two students as possibly having knives, but not guns. Both were questioned and searched on the first day of school, she said, and one was cleared.

    Also, when asked why Kittrell was allowed to enter the school building when he knew the student might have a weapon, Stillions said Kittrell had no record of disciplinary offenses and noted how difficult it would have been to locate him among 1,700 other teenagers.

    Do you see the AJC trying to make a story where one doesn’t exist?

    Does any of that really matter? What matters to me is that they caught Robin Kittrell and no one was hurt. Some of the parents agree…

    Few parents seem to be concerned about how the incident was handled. County Board of Education chairwoman Terri Smith, whose daughter attends Whitewater, said she hasn’t received a single call.

    “I don’t want to armchair quarterback,” she said. “But from what I hear, they handled it correctly.”

    So why is the AJC making a mountain out of this molehill?

  • More on Kittrell’s possible motive

    Questions linger in student’s weapons bust:

    Just some more insight into the motives of Robin Kittrell, the 17-year-old who brought an arsenal of guns to his Georgia high school to help prevent a Columbine-like situation. According to the last few paragraphs in the article, there was a rumor going around that another student was going to bomb Whitewater High School.

    But questions remain about exactly what Kittrell, whom school officials said had no record of disciplinary problems, might have intended to do with the weapons and black, ninja-like outfit — complete with mask, gloves and sword — that police confiscated.

    It sounds like Kittrell had some kind of grandiose plans of being some kind of vigilante or pictured himself as some kind of superhero. If that’s the case, then he should have gone the Spider-Man route and not used any weapons but himself.

  • Kittrell denied bond

    Fayette senior denied bond on weapons charges:

    Robin Kittrell, the 17-year-old Georgia student who brought an arsenal to school, has been denied bond. If you remember, he claims he was trying to prevent a Columbine rather than starting one.

    “I can’t say for certain what he might have done,” said District Attorney Scott Ballard. “But he couldn’t have had good intentions.”

    Ballard said he was not familiar with Kittrell’s past but said officials told him the teenager dressed in black clothing and seemed “strange.”

    Dressing in black does not necessarily make someone “strange”. Carrying an arsenal of weapons with you everywhere does.

  • 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.