Cole Withrow, in a picture on the “FreeCole” facebook page.
This story has gone viral in the 48 hours since the incident … and it’s currently a tragic affair.
One honest mistake that he immediately tried to correct … and an Eagle Scout and high school senior is facing prison.
The story is still developing, but here’s where we are as of this writing:
1. David “Cole” Withrow, from Princeton, NC, went skeet shooting with friends over last weekend.
2. He left one (or perhaps two, reports vary) shotgun(s) in his truck by accident, which he discovered when he reached for a book bag in the Princeton High School parking lot Monday morning.
3. After locking the guns in his truck, he went to the office, and called his Mom to come get the guns. He knew they were not allowed on school property, but also knew he was not allowed to leave school grounds once he had entered them that morning.
4. School officials overheard the conversation. Cole was arrested and expelled from school.
5. North Carolina mandates a 1-year expulsion for bringing a gun onto a high school campus.
6. After initially standing by his expulsion, the Johnson County Superintendent Ed Croom, has now offered Cole the opportunity to serve a 10-day suspension and then finish school on another campus. He will not be able to attend the graduation ceremony with his class.
7. He still faces the felony charge.
8. His college admission is also now unclear. Scholarships may be voided due to the felony arrest. However, Liberty University has stepped forward to award Cole a scholarship & make sure he can finish high school over the summer, in time to enroll at Liberty this fall.
9. His family isn’t commenting to the press, and the legal proceedings continue.
#FreeCole
“Zero Tolerance” is fine … until you come up with one of those shades of gray situations, which this obviously is.
Yes, Cole made a mistake by forgetting that he had guns in his truck. Once that mistake happened, he apparently had no option but to be arrested, expelled and imprisoned. Really? It’s a wrong law, and I hope that Princeton High School, Johnson County and North Carolina can see their way clear to appropriately extricating all involved parties from this mess.
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