Topic: 18 yr old spends 13 days in Ohio jail for a pocketknife
mightymoe's photo
Wed 03/19/14 09:32 AM
Enrolled in an Ohio vocational-technical school, Wiser was taking Firefighter 2 and EMT courses to bolster his dream of future public service.

"Last year, I completed the law enforcement course," the 18-year-old told The Huffington Post. "I received several certifications, including the National Terror Defense certification from FEMA, the Terror Recognition certification and (certification as an) Emergency Vehicle Operator."

Wiser also joined the Army, enrolling the Future Soldiers program, and was scheduled to ship out in August. After his planned military service, he figured he'd embark on a career as a police officer or firefighter.

But Wiser's big dreams of public service are on hold. In fact, he's now enduring a nightmare.

It all started Dec. 12 when administrators at Ashtabula County Technical and Career Campus (A-Tech) in Jefferson, Ohio - about 60 miles northeast of Cleveland - questioned Wiser after an alleged tip regarding videos uploaded to Wiser's YouTube account. Among the clips are reviews of video games and merchandise, home defense tactics, and an interview with a local police officer.

"The principal said he had reason to believe I had weapons in my vehicle and needed to search it," Wiser told the Huffington Post. "He made me empty out all my pockets, and the vice principal grabbed me and patted me down very forcibly. It was somewhat awkward. Then they took my car keys. I told them what was in my car and said, 'Don't be alarmed.'"

Wiser added that he didn't give school officials permission to search his vehicle, nor was there a warrant to perform the search. But they cited the school handbook as their warrant, he said, adding that they denied his request to call an attorney.

And what did they find inside Wiser's vehicle? A folding blade pocketknife, a stun gun and two Airsoft guns.

Airsoft is a game akin to paintball in which participants shoot each other with round non-metallic pellets, and Wiser said he had plans for an Airsoft game after school. The stun gun was for self-defense, he said, adding that the pocketknife was part of his EMT kit.

"My stun gun was locked in the glove box," Wiser told the Huffington Post, "and the knife was in my EMT medical vest. I bought it at K-Mart and have it as part of my first responder kit for cutting seatbelts."

Wiser was arrested and jailed for illegal conveyance of a weapon onto a school ground, a Class 5 felony.

Harold Specht, the chief assistant prosecutor at the Ashtabula County prosecutor's office, said the charge is related only to the pocketknife.

"I was in jail for almost 13 days," Wiser told the Huffington Post. "The first bond hearing I went to was on December 15. The judge ordered me [to be] held on a half million-dollar bond, pending a psychological evaluation. I did that and passed. They found I was not suicidal, homicidal or a threat to anybody. My attorney brought it up in front of a different judge, who let me out on a $50,000 bond and an ankle monitor. I was released from jail on Christmas Eve."

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Given his school's locale, Wiser doesn't understand all the hubub over his pocketknife - nor the wide-ranging fallout from its discovery.

"There are kids at my school all the time who get caught with knives and are suspended," he told the Huffington Post. "My school is very rural, and people carry knives. I can accept the fact that there was a lapse in judgment, and I can accept a punishment, but I have already been expelled from both the tech school and my home school." Jerome Brockway, the A-Tech superintendent, declined to discuss the case.

And since Wiser's felony charge, he said the Army discharged him pending a not-guilty verdict or dropped charges without prejudice.

That's not all. If the felony charge sticks, things could get way worse.

"If I am convicted of a felony, I'm never going to be a police officer. I'm never going to be a fireman. I'm never going to be in the military," he added. "I won't even be able to be a janitor. I'm 18 years old, and this is going to ruin my entire life."

If all of the knocks against Wiser weren't enough, he added that the conditions of his bond prohibit him from contact with his grandfather, who is dying from cancer.

"The one judge I went in front of told me to remove any firearms from my parents' house and put them at my grandpa's house," Wiser said. "The next judge freaked out about me even knowing what a gun is and put a no-contact order against me and my grandparents. My grandfather is dying right now, and I am not allowed within 500 feet of him."

There was a petition on change.org that demanded Wiser's charges be reduced to a misdemeanor, and within 48 hours, it attracted 1,349 signatures. But Wiser said he asked that the petition be closed, which it was.

"The court threatened to hold sanctions against me and my lawyer," Wiser told the Huffington Post. "I guess the prosecutor was upset because his inbox had been flooded with emails as a result of the petition."

Specht said he's aware "there's a load of people out here that just think we're the devil because we're allegedly ruining this young kid's life," but he insisted that's not the case and that the felony charge is justified and there are no plans to reduce the charge.

"There are all these school occurrences where people are shot, people are killed by other students," Specht said. "We see it every day ... so we don't take these things lightly. ... We have to be sure that we don't have a potential for something like that to happen here."

Wiser said he's offended by Specht's characterization.

"I was enlisted in the Army and went to school to be [a] police officer and fireman," he said. "Why are they trying to paint me as a potential school shooter? I never had any intentions of hurting a soul."

Wiser's attorney, William Bobulsky, did not return calls for comment from the Huffington Post.

Wiser is scheduled to appear in court again on April 1 for a pretrial hearing. A jury trial is tentatively scheduled for June 11.

"Never in my life did I think this would happen," Wiser said. "I dedicated my life to public service, and now a four-inch pocketknife could ruin everything."

willing2's photo
Wed 03/19/14 01:58 PM
Idiotic all the way around.

I'd arrest the principal if he has a letter opener and have him charged with illegal possession of a fixed blade assault weapon.

mightymoe's photo
Wed 03/19/14 02:08 PM

Idiotic all the way around.

I'd arrest the principal if he has a letter opener and have him charged with illegal possession of a fixed blade assault weapon.


i would have broke his jaw for trying to search my car...

msharmony's photo
Wed 03/19/14 02:11 PM
Edited by msharmony on Wed 03/19/14 02:14 PM
oh well, principal had reason to suspect the kid was up to 'no good' and might 'get away' with something,,,

at least everyone is still alive,,,

question: if the kid had BUSTED him in the mouth and he had a gun and he had hit his head on a concrete sidewalk ,, would he be justified in shooting that kid in the fight for his gun?

mightymoe's photo
Wed 03/19/14 02:15 PM
he's not justified in searching his car to begin with... thats a police matter, not a principle's job...

no photo
Wed 03/19/14 02:19 PM

oh well, principal had reason to suspect the kid was up to 'no good' and might 'get away' with something,,,

at least everyone is still alive,,,

question: if the kid had BUSTED him in the mouth and he had a gun and he had hit his head on a concrete sidewalk ,, would he be justified in shooting that kid in the fight for his gun?


Just more idiotic trash and no everyone is not still alive but what can you expect from the entitlement crowd that has no comprehension of what it means to be free with a constitution that warrants that freedom if the people enforce it.

But then when one has no concept of the principle of enumerated, then what can be expected.

no photo
Wed 03/19/14 02:23 PM

he's not justified in searching his car to begin with... thats a police matter, not a principle's job...


That is true but where is the civil suit against the principle and other named individuals including the prosecutor. Until the people learn to use the court system to defend their rights, then there can be no change. And don't expect lawyers to do it for you, they have sworn allegiance to the court which is the arm of the government used to control the population.

Conrad_73's photo
Wed 03/19/14 02:23 PM
Edited by Conrad_73 on Wed 03/19/14 02:33 PM

oh well, principal had reason to suspect the kid was up to 'no good' and might 'get away' with something,,,

at least everyone is still alive,,,

question: if the kid had BUSTED him in the mouth and he had a gun and he had hit his head on a concrete sidewalk ,, would he be justified in shooting that kid in the fight for his gun?

yep,and if my Auntie...........................

Woman,are you for real?noway noway noway
You really need to let go,or it might destroy you!

mightymoe's photo
Wed 03/19/14 02:26 PM


oh well, principal had reason to suspect the kid was up to 'no good' and might 'get away' with something,,,

at least everyone is still alive,,,

question: if the kid had BUSTED him in the mouth and he had a gun and he had hit his head on a concrete sidewalk ,, would he be justified in shooting that kid in the fight for his gun?

yep,and if my Auntie...........................

Woman,are you for real?noway noway noway


i think she was trying to tie it in with another thread....

no photo
Wed 03/19/14 02:36 PM



oh well, principal had reason to suspect the kid was up to 'no good' and might 'get away' with something,,,

at least everyone is still alive,,,

question: if the kid had BUSTED him in the mouth and he had a gun and he had hit his head on a concrete sidewalk ,, would he be justified in shooting that kid in the fight for his gun?

yep,and if my Auntie...........................

Woman,are you for real?noway noway noway


i think she was trying to tie it in with another thread....


Which one, they all seem to go to the same place.

willing2's photo
Wed 03/19/14 04:12 PM
As per topic. Bein's the teen didn't give permission to have his car searched, what y'all, non-libs, think his chances of a lawsuit against the principal are?




Is someone hot for some spicy Latino meat??























Or, will only settle fer some of the real deal. Big McDaddy George.




willing2's photo
Wed 03/19/14 04:14 PM




oh well, principal had reason to suspect the kid was up to 'no good' and might 'get away' with something,,,

at least everyone is still alive,,,

question: if the kid had BUSTED him in the mouth and he had a gun and he had hit his head on a concrete sidewalk ,, would he be justified in shooting that kid in the fight for his gun?

yep,and if my Auntie...........................

Woman,are you for real?noway noway noway


i think she was trying to tie it in with another thread....


Which one, they all seem to go to the same place.


Liberals can get away with thread hijacking.

no1phD's photo
Wed 03/19/14 04:17 PM
.. I like fluffy he's funny as hell..lol

Sojourning_Soul's photo
Thu 03/20/14 08:45 AM
Edited by Sojourning_Soul on Thu 03/20/14 08:50 AM

oh well, principal had reason to suspect the kid was up to 'no good' and might 'get away' with something,,,

at least everyone is still alive,,,

question: if the kid had BUSTED him in the mouth and he had a gun and he had hit his head on a concrete sidewalk ,, would he be justified in shooting that kid in the fight for his gun?


Naw...just gone trolling.... to avoid the issue all together

Foliel's photo
Thu 03/20/14 08:59 AM
Since they didn't have permission to search his car, the charges should be dropped. They are going to ruin this kids life because he had an emt vest in his car. Soon the military will NOT have any 18-21 year olds since they will end up with some kind of record from schools going overboard. Maybe then people will stand up to schools.

willing2's photo
Thu 03/20/14 09:07 AM
That school may as well put a, "Attack us. We are a Gun and Knife Free Zones."

If I was a classmate, I'd make an appointment to see the principal.

If there are any items in his office that could be used to stab or cut someone, they should call and report the assault items. Take pictures first.smokin

Sojourning_Soul's photo
Thu 03/20/14 09:07 AM
Edited by Sojourning_Soul on Thu 03/20/14 09:29 AM

Since they didn't have permission to search his car, the charges should be dropped. They are going to ruin this kids life because he had an emt vest in his car. Soon the military will NOT have any 18-21 year olds since they will end up with some kind of record from schools going overboard. Maybe then people will stand up to schools.


Correction....stand up FOR schools, and against govt run institutionalization of schools, backed by unions, in support of common core teachings, obedience to authority, culminating in the loss of freedoms and liberty

They stole our elections, our homes, our money, our rights, our freedoms, and our healthcare, next our education and our young.... the future of Amerika

Surprisingly (maybe not so....) Hitler implemented the same agenda with the "Hitler Youth Corps"

http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/hitleryouth/hj-beginnings.htm

http://www.newswithviews.com/brownfield/brownfield176.htm

http://www.infowars.com/homeland-security-graduates-first-corps-of-obamas-brown-shirts-homeland-youth/