UPDATE 3:48 p.m EDT: I have been working on this blog post in between classes and now that I'm back on again, several things have changed. First, as reported by the local ABC affiliate, Cole will be allowed to graduate, but not with his friends at Princeton High School. It will instead be an alternative option only. That is not justice. This same article also reports that two teachers in Johnston County, including an administrator who works at Cole's school, have done the same thing Cole did. Yet neither was charged with a felony or even arrested. The administrator who works at Cole's school served a three day suspension and still works there.
The second major piece of information, also reported by Todd Starnes, is that Cole has now been offered "whatever scholarships he need[s] to attend Liberty University," by Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. Falwell also had the following to say about this incident:
“When you see a basketball player who is glorified for announcing that
he’s gay and then you see an honest young man like Cole arrested and
treated like a criminal for making an honest mistake – you wonder what’s
happening to our country,” he said. “The culture seems to be completely
disconnected from our roots – our Christian heritage and our
Constitution. I hope the American people wake up before it’s too late.”
Original Post: As first reported by Todd Starnes on Wednesday, May 1st, Cole Withrow, of Johnston County, N.C., has been suspended and is facing expulsion for accidentally driving to school on Monday, April 29th with an unloaded shotgun in the back of his truck. The gun was reportedly left in the back after a weekend skeet shooting trip and was simply forgotten about on Sunday night. And oh, by the way, Cole is an Eagle Scout and honor student at his high school and is scheduled to graduate in just a matter of weeks.
When Cole parked and went to grab his bag, he discovered the shotgun. According to Starnes and his sources, the events that followed went like this:
Cole secured the shotgun in his truck. He next went directly the the school office to call his mother and tell her what happened and ask for her help in getting the gun back home. However, his conversation was apparently overheard by someone in the office. School officials went to his truck and found the gun. Cole has now been handed a suspension (a family friend said "expelled for 365 days" but expulsion means you can't come back at all), has been effectively blocked from finishing his high school career and graduating with his friends and is facing a felony for "knowingly and willfully bringing a weapon onto educational property."
Cole did not "knowingly or willfully" bring his shotgun on campus. And when he realized what happened, he did the honest and honorable thing and moved to quickly correct it. But by being open and honest about the situation, he paid for it. This is inexcusable. If this teaches our kids anything, it teaches them that being open and honest is wrong and instead they should just lie, cheat, hide, etc.
Jimmy Williams
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