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I promised last newsletter to fill you in on the progression of a pending case concerning Autum, a 12-year-old student who found a bomb threat note in the girl's restroom at her junior high school. She gave it to her teacher, who took her and the note to the office. The state police were called to investigate and after examining and comparing her handwriting sample to the bomb threat, and interrogating her without a parent present, she was charged with writing the bomb threat.No other handwriting samples were compared except hers. She is a straight A student, with perfect attendance, and received the school citizenship award last year.
Due to the yelling and badgering of the suspect in the interrogation, a hearing was held to examine the due process. After much denial, the state policeman did admit to yelling and making comments to intimidate and coerce her testimony. This really made them mad and further cooperation on the part of the prosecution was difficult when requests for information or copies were made.
She was suspended and then the school board met and voted to expel her for the remainder of the 2005-2006 school year. She was forbidden to go within 500 ft. of the school. Being a cheerleader, she was looking forward to tryouts for the following school year. None of her scholastic or extra curricular activities would be realized for the current school year and some for the following year. The attorney requested a hearing to allow her to continue in school while the case was being brought to trial. A judge ruled to allow her back into school during the interim, based on the written opinion of the hired document examiner, that's me. Only hours later the school board took a phone vote to appeal the judge's ruling and thereby block her return to school.
The NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh covered the judge's ruling on the 11 PM News. Interviewing the family in their home, all showed excitement at the prospect of Autum going back to school. The TV cameras were at the school the next morning to record the event. What they recorded was the principal stalling and telling her she would not be allowed back in school. After a small delay, someone ran in with the paperwork that the appeal had been filed, and therefore she was to go back home and wait out the legal maneuvering.
On March 31 st, we were given a court date for June 9th. After not hearing anything for about 3 weeks, I decided to check in with her father, who hired me. On Friday night, May 5th at 10PM, I find out that our court date has been moved to Tuesday, May 16th. The father thought the attorney had informed me and the attorney thought the father had informed me. This is a good lesson for all of us. Don't assume anything.
After what I knew of the situation, I decided that I would call a trusted mentor to assist me. The attorney wanted another document examiner to present confirming testimony against the prosecution's document examiner. I asked Curt to fit me into his already booked schedule and he graciously agreed. I asked him to get his CV off to the attorney and within 3 hours after that, everything went dead in the water. The next thing I heard was a continuance had been granted to the other side and no court date was set. If there were to be a court date it would be more than 60 days out. It just proves that sometimes the size of your gun is all it takes to make the other side back down.
I never thought they would go to court to be exposed in this travesty, but with each step along the way, I was beginning to question my own evaluation of them. I learned a lot from this experience. First, this is more like a sparing match, than a search for truth and justice. Second, anything someone can do to save face or work damage control in an obvious litigious situation will be done. Third, expect the unexpected. You'll still probably be surprised but maybe only half of the time. Half is good.
A week after Autum had been suspended from school; a classmate went to the principal and told him he knew who wrote the bomb threat note. The principal told this boy they had the guilty party and he did not meet or talk with the classmate. Why confuse the issue?
The boy remained silent for another 3 weeks and then told his dad what he knew. His dad took him down to the police station where he swore out his statement. He said that a boy, Bobby, who left the school 4 days after the incident to move out of state with his father, who had just gotten out of prison, told him he used latex gloves when writing the note so as not to leave any fingerprints. Hence, the only prints on the note were Autum's.
Autum's father was grateful for this new evidence of her innocence and thought that this would make it all go away. Well, a handwriting sample was faxed to me purported to be Bobby's, although there was no identifying name on the paper. It was supplied by the school and given to the authorities. Bobby could not have written the bomb threat note as the note was above his skill level. Now, Autum's father said, "Can I send you the statement that the boy made to the police?" I said sure, I'll look at it. Well, you have probably all guessed the next sentence. Yes, the boy trying to come clean to the principal had a case of guilty conscience. Trying to do his own damage control and still live with himself he made up a cover story. He was fingering a boy who was no longer around to defend himself or deny the allegations. We can be awesome truth detectors. The only really surprising fact in all of this is that the prosecution had evidence of who really committed the offense and still continues to go after an innocent girl. I could give them the benefit of the doubt that their document examiner could not see the "handwriting on the wall" but it really was obvious. Her uncle spotted it first and he is untrained in this science and then the document was sent to me after he raised the question.
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