Ruining Someone’s Life For No Apparent Reason

Today The Blaze posted the story of Jordan Wiser, an Ohio high school senior. Jordan was taking Firefighter 2 and EMT courses to bolster his dream of future public service. He had 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. Unfortunately, an overzealous school administrator has seemingly ruined those plans.

The article explains Jordan Wiser’s recent accomplishments:

“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.”

The article reports:

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.

Jordan Wiser explains in the article:

“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.”

The article explains the consequences of the discovery:

“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.”

I don’t know what is going on here, but if the story as told is true, the school is leaving itself wide open for a huge lawsuit. This young man knew what he wanted to do and was moving in that direction. First of all, what right does the school have to search a student’s car without a warrant? Does a student give up his constitutional rights when he steps on his high school campus? If the events in this story occurred as told, the school has a lot of explaining to do. I don’t believe it is standard procedure to send a student to jail for having an EMT kit in his car that included a knife.

 

 

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