16 year old girl arrested, charged with felony for science project

A Florida teen with an exemplary record is facing federal charges after...
...mixing housing chemicals in a small water bottle at Bartow High School, causing the cap to fly off and produce a bit of smoke.

The experiment was conducted outdoors, no property was damaged, and no one was injured.

...authorities arrested her and charged her with “possession/discharge of a weapon on school property and discharging a destructive device,” according to WTSP-TV. The school district proceeded to expel Wilmot for handling the “dangerous weapon,” also known as a water bottle

Source

Public schools are nothing but ridiculous. This reminds me of the child who was expelled for using sign language to spell his name, simply because one of the letters "looked like a gun". Now this girl is probably going to be a felon for life, simply because she made the cap pop off a water bottle. What's next? Is the DHS going to start rounding up kids trying to make volcano exhibits? You never know, those volcanoes just might be their way of training to make IEDs.
This world is sick.

reply to post by trollz


It wasn't a science project.

www.theledger.com...

The girl told authorities she was conducting a science experiment, according to Bartow police, but science teachers at the school said they knew nothing about it.

She did this on her own with a lot of other kids around.

"Hey what are you doing with that baking soda?....ARE YOU CRAZY? Get away from that vinegar you are gonna blow the whole universe apart!!"

I guess some people have so little control over their own life that controlling others is the only chance they have left to flatter their ego.

reply to post by trollz

All part and parcel of a dystopian society.

They have now used her to set an example for the rest of the students. Fear works.

I'm beginning to fully suspect that this is a way of indoctrinating the next generation into the mentality that weapons of all types are bad. Bombs aren't a good thing, obviously, but it probably stands to reason that using them side by side with guns in the weapon demonization process will reinforce an anti-gun mindset.

That being said... poor girl. Another victim in the war against not walking the straight and narrow. It's expulsion for the kids now. Next it's going to be death (or indefinite incarceration) for the adults.

To be honest there are way too many people who overreact and are paranoid when the students make noises and what not. Another example of the craziness in American schools today. Sad to see it happen.

Won't the same thing happen with a mentos and coke? So now are any kids doing that going to be charged with a felony?

We are way out of control here.

reply to post by LogicGrind


I have to wonder if the school wasn't covering their backsides by claiming they had no knowledge of the incident.

Oh #!

I swear I'm just holding these Mentos for a friend. I swear it.

Cant wait to see what the backlash, if any, is when the kids in this hyper paranoid police state become adults.

Umbrella lock downs, zero tolerance and cowering for live fire drills in the halls is bound to do something to their minds. My guess would be exacerbate the rift between the compliant and the non-compliant like never before.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Cant wait to see what the backlash, if any, is when the kids in this hyper paranoid police state become adults

You mean when they praise .gov for saving them from that exploded water bottle?

Only in America.

"Hey you, kid, quit being a kid! You could seriously hurt someone!"

All the while innocent men, women, and children are being murdered by drone strikes in which no one cares.

Oh how I love the "land of the free."

I hope that they dont let this dangerous criminal take Home Ec and have access to that "Destructive Device" (DD) that we call a Pressure Cooker. I think that people should have to transfer these thru the ATF and pay a $200 transfer tax.....tongue caught in cheek - sorry.

Originally posted by EllaMarina
reply to post by LogicGrind

 

I have to wonder if the school wasn't covering their backsides by claiming they had no knowledge of the incident.

The school has nothing to cover...if it was a science project, no harm no foul.

She did this outside, on school grounds, behind the cafeteria, with no teacher supervision...she screwed up and now she must face the consequences.

Yes, it sucks...kids do dumb things...but there are consequences.

reply to post by yourmaker


For every one that does there has to be another that doesnt.

Overbearing parents arent guaranteed a polite kid or a rebellious kid but can end up with either depending on how the overbearing tactics are interpreted.

reply to post by theMediator


Lol, I guess science fair projects are going to be pretty lame in the future, lol.

reply to post by LogicGrind


I thought that if it were a science project, then the girl's teacher would be responsible, and by extension, the school itself. (That's assuming their students' projects aren't supervised throughout their creation, something I doubt.) In light of the recent bombing incidents, I wouldn't be surprised if the nature of the girl's "project" resulted in a flurry of framing.

Then again, this may indeed just be a case of a girl making a dumb decision and getting a disproportionate punishment a la modern zero tolerance policy. Which does make more sense than my theory, I admit.

If a kid nowadays did half of the things I did all them years ago back in school I think they'd be sectioned off for life - and guess what, I've grown up to become a (reasonably) well adjusted adult who's never blown anything or anyone up, in fact I've never even had the slightest inclination to.

If there's malice intended then sure some sort of action is required but......?

Kids should be left alone and allowed to be kids.

ETA.
With hindsight I must say that bit about not wanting to blow anything up is untrue - I'd love to blow The Houses Of Parliament up and maybe one or two other 'revered' buildings and establishments but that's a completely different subject altogether.

Originally posted by chiefsmom
Won't the same thing happen with a mentos and coke? So now are any kids doing that going to be charged with a felony?

We are way out of control here.

I'm going guess this wasn't Mentos and Coke, or Baking Soda and Vinegar. What she probably used, could have caused serious injury and would certainly lead to felony charges. A quick search is all it takes to find out.

reply to post by RedShirt73

Pretty soon they will be banning Dodge Ball also. What? They already have?

At what point did we cross the line where learning about how things work and trying out household science projects become a crime? I am trying to wrap my head around this. I remember exploding water bottles with firecrackers inside them just to see what would happen, (they exploded) it has to a planned operation to squash any real life science in schools, hell my teachers in grade school would be blowing sh!t up all the time just for fun, that's key 'fun' kids learn way better out in the field. Play and learning should go hand in hand.

If I was this kids parent I would bring the biggest baking soda and vinegar volcano anybody has ever seen and let the baby rip for all the kids to see and cheer!

SCIENCE RULES!!!