Monroe Woodbury Teen Plots Attack

Police have in custody an unnamed 15-year-old teenager accused of plotting a Columbine-like attack on his High School, Monroe-Woodbury, in Orange County, New York.

During a search of the teen's home Monday, the statement said police found bottles containing gasoline, items that could be used as fuses, a torch, a machete, three propane tanks, two computers and even a black trench coat similar to the ones worn by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the teens who killed 12 students and a teacher in Columbine, Colo., in 1999 before killing themselves.

According to authorities, the youth said that he had been bullied and that he had "a lot of hatred" for kids at the school. He also admitted that he had been trying to acquire an assault weapon "that could hold as many rounds as possible" .

The attack was supposed to take place on April 20, 2010 to mark the 11th anniversary of the incident at Columbine High School. The police said that the teen's parents were unaware of the items that he had collected or of his plan to attack the school.

The teen is currently under observation in a psychiatric facility.

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Zarchary Christie and the Spork

6-year-old Zachary Christie is a first-grader at Downes Elementary School in Newark, Del., He received a 45-day suspension from school. His crime - he took a camping utensil that contained a spoon, fork, bottle opener and knife (commonly called a spork) to school.

School administrators deemed Zachary to be in violation of their zero-tolerance ban on weapons, and he may have to attend the district's reform school.

See Video Clip Below:

Zachary's mother, Debbie Christie, is speaking out against the suspension and saying he should not have to face 45 days of reform school as a consequence.

"I got a call from the principal, telling me to come down, that Zach had carried a dangerous weapon into school and was going to be suspended," Christie told "Good Morning America"

School administrators deemed Zachary to be in violation of their zero-tolerance ban on weapons, and he may have to attend the district's reform school.

The decision has been widely criticized as being too harsh, and Debbie Christie started a Web site with a petition of support that garnered thousands of  signatures.

At the school board meeting supporters came out to rally for change. The board relented and changed its rules. Children in kindergarten and first grade will only be faced with a three to five day suspension.

See Video Clip Below

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Dymond Milburn - A Victim of Police Brutality

The night of August 22, 2006 would change the life of Dymond Milburn, 12, and her family forever. Before the night was over Dymond, an honor student attending advanced classes at Austin Middle School, would be falsely accused of being a prostitute and assaulted by 4 undercover Galveston police officers - while hanging unto a tree limb, yelling "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" -  requiring that she be hospitalized. According to the lawsuit:

The examining physician found that Dymond suffered injuries from multiple blows to the head, face, neck, lower back, left shoulder, and left hip/waist area. She suffered a contusion to the back of the head (where she was struck with a flashlight). There were abrasions on her arm and wrist. Her throat was swollen; she had difficulty swallowing, nausea and vomiting, and hoarseness of voice due to being struck in the throat. She had black eyes, scalp lacerations, tenderness of the vertebrae. She was experiencing double vision and loss of hearing. Dymond’s ear drum and nose were also injured (blood in ear, bruised nasal septum, and nose bleed).

This 12-year-old black girl, not yet a teenager, was mistaken for a prostitute because, according to the police, she was dressed in "tight shorts". The police were investigating a report of 3 white prostitutes and a drug dealer who were supposed to be located two blocks away from where they encountered Dymond, who was in front of her parents house.

Still not content to leave the family alone, three weeks after this unfortunate event, the police showed up at Dymond's school to arrest her, in front of the entire class, for assaulting a public servant! They claim that she was arrested because she fought back against the plain-clothed police officers who were trying to arrest her in front of her own home. It didn't matter that she was innocent and they, the police officers, were at the wrong address.

It all began around 8pm when the breaker went out at the Milburn home. Dymond's mother, Emily, asked her daughter to go outside and turn the switch back on. Emily was busy preparing her kids for school the next day. So Dymond went outside to find the breaker. As she was heading towards the switch, a blue van pulled up to her and 4 undercover police officers jumped out.

Without identifying themselves as police officers one of them grabbed Dymond saying: "You're a prostitute. You're coming with me." Dymond did not go quietly. She grabbed a tree and started sceaming "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" so loudly that she could be heard by the neighbors. The police reacted by covering her mouth and beating her about the head and throat. The officers involved were: Sergeant Gilbert Gomez, Officers David Roark, Justin Popovich and Sean Stewart.

Wilfred Milburn, Dymond’s father, was on the balcony when he heard his daughter’s cries for help and came outside. Emily Milburn also heard the cries and ran outside. When they arrived outside, Dymond was hysterical and holding on to the tree with one arm; two officers were striking Dymond in the head, face and throat. At no time did the supervising officer (Gomez) on the scene intervene and stop the illegal seizure and assault. Officer Roark hit Dymond in the back of head with a flashlight, hit her neck, throat, slapped her across the face, and told her to get off the tree.

Wilfred Milburn told the officer “that’s our daughter. She’s twelve.” The officer responded, “I don’t care if she’s twenty-two, thirty-two, or forty-six. Tell her to calm down.”

As a result of the Officers’ assault, Dymond suffered from pain in the back of the head, lower back pain, a sprained wrist with abrasions, and throat, neck and face pain. Her parents took her to the University of Texas Medical Branch for treatment. They arrived at the emergency room at 9:24 p.m. on August 22, 2006. Dymond was treated for head injuries and multiple contusions.

On Friday, September 15, 2006, at 10:00 a.m., twelve (12) year old Dymond Milburn was arrested for assaulting a public servant. The arrest took place while Dymond was at school.

This incident so traumatized Dymond that she had to seek professional help.

Since the incident, Dymond has had regular nightmares in which police officers are raping her, beating her, and cutting off her fingers. Her fear prevented her from participating in normal activities (going outside to play) which she no longer considered safe. Dymond sought psychological treatment, and on October 31, 2006, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to the incident which is the subject of this lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Dymond claims that she has also experienced: Loss of appetite, loss of normal functioning, and negative effect on school grades due to trouble concentrating in class, all associated with the beating suffered at the hands of the law enforcement officers.

The police version of the story is, of course, not quite the same. The following is a statement from the lawyer for the officers, William Helfand:

Both the daughter and the father were arrested for assaulting a peace officer. "The father basically attacked police officers as they were trying to take the daughter into custody after she ran off."

Also, "The city has investigated the matter and found that the conduct of the police officers was appropriate under the circumstances," Helfand says. "It's unfortunate that sometimes police officers have to use force against people who are using force against them. And the evidence will show that both these folks violated the law and forcefully resisted arrest."

The charge of assaulting a public servant, brought against Dymond Milburn, was taken to trial, but the judge declared it a mistrial on the first day. A new trial is set for February.

"I think we'll be okay," says Anthony Griffin, Dymond's defense lawyer. "I don't think a jury will find a 12-year-old girl guilty who's just sitting outside her house. Any 12-year-old attacked by three men and told that she's a prostitute is going to scream and yell for Daddy and hit back and do whatever she can. She's scared to death."

Griffin says he expects to enter mediation with the officers in early 2009 to resolve the lawsuit.

The Cheerleaders and the Nude Photos

Two Cheerleaders at Bothell High School in Bothell, Wa. were suspended from the school squad. The reason? Nude pictures of the two girls were circulated, first among the football team, then to the student body and finally to the administrators of the school. One of the girls received a 30-day suspension and the other was suspended for the rest of the school year.

The parents of the two girls are now calling foul. They have filed lawsuits against the Northshore School District, alleging school officials erred when they suspended the girls from the team.

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Both lawsuits, filed in King County Superior Court, accuse school administrators of violating the girls' due process rights, needlessly sharing the photos with other school staff members and failing to promptly report the matter to police as possible child pornography.

The photos were taken separately. The first photo was taken 3 years ago. It showed the girl topless and was originally sent to the cellphone of her boyfriend at the time. The picture was then accidentally sent to other Bothell High School students.

The other girl's photo was taken in June when she and a fellow cheerleader used their cell phones to each snap photos of themselves naked. That photo too was later accidentally sent to other Bothell High School students.

Shortly after the June photos were taken, school officials heard rumors the pictures were circulating among students, particularly football players. They sent a letter to all cheerleaders' parents, warning that if inappropriate photos were found, it could result in suspension from the squad.

Football players were told to delete the pictures from their cell phones, if they received them, but in August school administrators received copies of both photos. This resulted in the disciplinary action taken against the two girls.

Attorney Matthew King, who represents both families, said it was troubling that only the girls were punished while the football players and other students who sent and received the photos, were not disciplined.

"We're not technically challenging the sanctions as being too strict, we're saying they weren't evenly enforced across the school," King said. "There should have been some punishment meted out to those who were in possession of the photos. ... It seems like the girls are getting the brunt of it."

King argues the district's student handbook didn't specifically prohibit the girls' behavior, and didn't outline potential consequences for a case like this.

"My clients fully realize what they did was stupid," King said, adding that the girls never intended for the photos to be distributed and have been mortified by the entire incident.

He wants the disciplinary action expunged from the girls' school records, the remaining teen reinstated to the cheerleading squad and some form of apology from district officials for neglecting to discipline other students in the case.

Northshore spokeswoman Susan Stoltzfus countered that school officials acted appropriately, reported the matter to police and gave both girls a chance to appeal their suspensions to a disciplinary committee and to the School Board.

"Everyone along the line agreed the discipline was appropriate," she said. "Obviously, we take these things seriously, but we really don't believe this (case) has a lot of merit."

"This is frivolous," Northshore School District attorney Mike Patterson said. "It should never have gone to court and they (the families suing) should recognize that what happened here was created by their own doing."

Northshore officials believe the girls clearly violated the district's athletic code, which students must agree to in order to participate in school activities. The girls understood that as athletes, they would be held to higher standards of behavior, Stoltzfus said.

"When you sign up to be a cheerleader -- or for any student activity -- you agree to certain codes of behavior," she said. "We consider them student leaders, and we want them to be role models."

SDSU Students Face Judge

Authorities have identified two students as major players in a drug ring operating at SDSU. They are Kenneth Ciaccio, 19, and Thomas Watanapun, 21. They were both arraigned and pleaded not guilty to drug charges in Superior Court Thursday. Kenneth Ciaccio was “a major source of supply on campus” and Thomas Watanapun was “a major source of anything” including cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy tablets, Deputy District Attorney Shawn Tafreshi told Judge David M. Szumowski.

Kenneth Ciaccio

Kenneth Ciaccio, 19, bragged to undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agents in early April that he could get them over a quarter-pound of cocaine after selling them smaller quantities in two separate transactions, Tafreshi said.

Ciaccio sent a text message to agents suggesting they buy drugs soon because he and his associates were taking a trip to Las Vegas, the prosecutor said. The message listed the prices for drugs. On his return from Las Vegas, he sent agents another text message saying “I'm back in town and I hope to hear from you soon. I'm going to hook you guys up.”

Ciaccio's lawyer, Michael Messina, said outside the courtroom that Ciaccio has wrongly been characterized as “a kingpin” in the SDSU drug deals.

“My client is not a major player in this particular enterprise,” Messina said. “He comes from a good home, a good family ... unfortunately he appears to have made some mistakes.”

The judge ordered Ciaccio held in jail in lieu of $150,000 bail. If convicted, Ciaccio faces more than 6 years in prison.

Thomas Watanapun

Watanapun, 21, provided a half-ounce of cocaine which another student – who was arrested as part of the SDSU drug ring – sold to agents, Tafreshi told the judge. He was also accused of dealing other drugs including Ecstasy, from a university parking lot across the street from Fraternity Row. He made no effort to conceal the cash he made from dealing, driving directly from one deal to a bank to deposit $400. Agents also found drugs in Watanapun's room, the prosecutor said.

Watanapun's lawyer, Nathan Aguilar, told the judge that Watanapun was “an exemplary student” with a grade point average above 3.0. He said Watanapun was a victim of “peer pressure and poor judgment.”

The judge ordered Watanapun held on $25,000 bail. If convicted Watanapun faces more than 5 years behind bars.

Other Accused Students

Jarrod Skippon and Joshua Matsuda both 19 were roommates. Skippon went to the university last semester and is not enrolled in the school right now. Matsuda is a freshman at Grossmont College. Prosecutors said that drugs were found in their College-area apartment. Both men pleaded not guilty to drug charges and the judge set their bail at $10,000 each.

Terrance Blackman, 19, an SDSU student, allegedly sold marijuana to a DEA agent on campus.

Aaron Heffernan,19, is accused of selling Ecstasy pills while on campus. Investigators said he was found with 300 pills and marijuana in his campus room.

Samuel Welsh, 18, allegedly sold drugs to undercover agents, telling them it was top-quality cocaine.

Nicolas Delacruz, 22, allegedly set up a meeting outside Cox Arena to make a cocaine deal. "[Delacruz] entered the DEA agents' vehicle, he tasted the cocaine himself prior to giving it to the agents, and they consummated the sale," said prosecutor Shawn Tafreshi.

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Also arraigned were: Cory Barclay, 18; Chad Frazier, 22; James Dennis Schurr III, 21; Clynton Parsons, 20; and Thomas George Brindley, 20, Chaz Lomack, 22 and Tarek El Hadidi, 21.

They also entered not-guilty pleas and bail was set for each anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000.

Patrick Hawley, 20, was also arraigned. He was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and selling cocaine near the campus, officials said. Hawley, who was an SDSU student at some point during the investigation, sold one-eighth of an ounce of cocaine for $120 to an undercover DEA agent. He often bragged of taking over the drug selling business from another seller, Tafreshi said. Hawley's bail was set at $75,000.

Gang Involvement

Omar Castaneda, a 36-year-old Pomona gang member with close ties to some of the Mexican Tijuana drug cartels was also arrested in connection with the SDSU drug bust. Castaneda, who is believed to have been a lead supplier in the drug trafficking, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment. His bail was set at $150,000 in connection with the drug charges and his immigration status is also being checked.

“Castaneda was one of the main sources of supply for some of the dealers on the campus,” said Damon Mosler, narcotics division chief for the District Attorney.

The violent Tijuana drug cartel also known as the Arellano-Felix organization (AFO) has a firm and deadly hold on all drug trafficking activities in Baja and San Diego California. Their reach controls drug smuggling in Sinaloa, Jalisco, Michoacan, Chiapas and Baja, and has strong links to San Diego, California. The AFO dispenses an estimated $1 million weekly in bribes to Mexican officials, police and Mexican army officers and maintains its own-well armed, trained, paramilitary security force.

The DEA considers the AFO the most violent and aggressive of the Mexican border cartels. Here is the DEA's background profile on the AFO and its leaders.