Student Arrested After Wearing Body Armor to Class

[QKShooter]

I for sure do not have all of the details to this story but, the student was not just walking down the street minding his own business and having his rights violated due to an illegal search w/out probable cause.
But, I'm best guessing that "Showed Up At School" is synonymous with "Entered Onto School Property.
Most school authorities usually maintain some sort of direct control of what happens on their school property.
At least to the degree that they are empowered to question any activity that they believe to be "suspicious" to them.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[friesepferd]

ooh he is cute! i love the hair

[Scot Van]

There has to be more to this. So far as I know, it's not illegal to purchase, own, or wear body armor, right? And he was 18, so he was legal to purchase whatever long-guns he wants. So, what did they arrest him for and get the search warrant for?

I'm curious about the charges too. He wasn't armed, and he was a student who presumably had permission to be on school property; how does that add up to armed trespassing? Grand theft of what?

Granted, walking around in body armor is kind of unusual, and it seems reasonable to question him about it. But if he's not doing anything illegal...

I suspect that the Joker's Laffy Time Knock Out Stuff was stolen...perhaps that was the theft.

[Bob The Great]

But if he were on probation (which seems at least reasonable to speculate about), then his person and property can be searched for any reason.

Matt

That's a point. If it proves to be true, I have no objections to the search based on suspicion only.

[jualdeaux]

Here is the Ledger write up.

http://www.theledger.com/article/200...710170537/1039

Weapons Cache Uncovered
Student Who Wore Armor to School Arrested

LAKELAND | An investigation that started when a student came to class wearing a bulletproof vest resulted in the arrest of an 18-year-old Lakeland man Monday night.

A Lakeland police officer questioned Shawn Keiffer Newberry, 18, about the vest on Oct. 3 at the Life Skills Center, 407 E. Memorial Blvd. When he didn't answer, a search of his vehicle turned up a can of Clear Out, a nonlethal tear gas-like spray.

During an interview with police, Newberry talked about tactical methods to defeat body armor, stating he trains every weekend using at least 1,000 rounds of ammunition, according to Sgt. Terri Smith.

Further investigation revealed Newberry has purchased body armor, a Taser, three AK-47s, a shotgun, Clear Out grenades with tubes for under-door deployment, a tactical helmet, a gas mask and about 2,000 rounds of ammunition since January.

Newberry's father, Mark McNeill, had turned over to Lakeland police firearms that belonged to Newberry.

At Newberry's home, 2108 Selkirk Lane N., police found many rounds of ammunition of various calibers and a video camera with images of Newberry, three other young men and a woman who appear to be doing target practice with AK-47s, according to Smith.

During one practice session, the target is a Ledger newspaper box. The video also shows the detonation of an explosive device, which was determined to have happened just off Winter Lake Road in south Lakeland, Smith said.

The State Attorney's Office has charged Newberry with armed trespassing, grand theft and criminal mischief.

My guess is the armed trespassing is for the can of Clear Out in the car and the grand theft is for the newspaper box. The Ledger probably wanted that tacked on as he stole one of their boxes.

Oh, and didn't you like the "weapons cache uncovered" line in the title. If that is a cache, I must have an entire armoury.

[OPFOR]

Mighty HD - did you mean that he is in a bit of trouble now, or that he has been in trouble before? Because all the charges you listed are the result of this incident...

[xd.40sub]

maybe he feared for his life so he got a bullet proof vest for protection, probably not. as for the tear gas, it isn't a firearm is it. what this boils down to is this kid is a misfit. he got the gear because it was cool for him and his friends to pretend to be swat. then, because he was so proud of his new vest, he wore it to school. stupid yes, illegal I wouldn't think so. He wanted some attention and he got it, congratulations.

[Mighty HD]

There is a previous arrest, look at the booking and release dates.

[miklcolt45]

Local news was reporting last night that he was a dropout who had just re-enrolled 5 days before this happened. Curious...

[Scot Van]

maybe he feared for his life so he got a bullet proof vest for protection, probably not. as for the tear gas, it isn't a firearm is it. what this boils down to is this kid is a misfit. he got the gear because it was cool for him and his friends to pretend to be swat. then, because he was so proud of his new vest, he wore it to school. stupid yes, illegal I wouldn't think so. He wanted some attention and he got it, congratulations.

I'm not certain I'd be so willing to write this off to simple adolescent frustration (make no mistake, there are LOTS of 18+ adolescents...heck, I know some 35-year-old ones). Even with that argument, haven't we seen enough to know that you can't turn your back on a kid that is a powder keg? Didn't Columbine team us anything?

When I was that age (growing two inches every time I took a nap, eating everything in sight, couldn't walk a straight line or talk to a pretty girl without falling down...'member?), I HATED BEING THAT AGE. To sort it out, I sometimes fought about my anger and frustration with the world. On the mats and with my fists. I think I though that if I could kick the world's ass, I'd be safer. Probably quite worrisome, but not uncommon.

But things have drastically changed, and general disregard for human life is a more commonplace thing. An angry kid (sometimes to the point of feeling suicidal) often doesn't realize the consequences of his actions (witness the black eyes I inflicted or the fat lips I've suffered). If ANYONE is going to go buggy, he's the most likely candidate to do it with wanton destruction and disregard for his own life. This way of dealing with it is becoming more regular, and I say WATCH THIS ONE EXTREMELY CLOSELY, and others like him. For EVERYONE'S good.

Who is to say that this kid, supervised, won't grow up to be a counselor for other angry kids and prevent something horrible from happening? Watch him, help him turn whatever he's angry about to something that he can use to heal, not hurt. Whatever happens, he can't contribute to the greater good if he's in prison or dead.


As Coach Hayes used to say, a man is always better than he thinks he is.

[Arisin Wind]

Here's the latest:

http://www.theledger.com/article/200...710180529/1023



Father: Suspect Is Gentle Person
By John Chambliss
The Ledger
Write an email to John Chambliss
John Chambliss
Winter Haven/Eagle Lake Reporter
Dept.: East Polk News
(863) 401-6965
john.chambliss@theledger.com
Your Name:

Your Email:

Subject:

Message:




LAKELAND | Shawn Keiffer Newberry is shy, has a love for guns and is the "most gentle person in the world," in the eyes of his father, Jessie Newberry.

* Enlarge



In the eyes of law enforcement, Newberry, 18, is potentially dangerous.

"Newberry displayed a great knowledge of assault weapons, police body armor, and knowledge of defeating body armor for the purpose of killing human beings," an officer said in a police report.

The officer wrote that he "... believes Newberry is training and arming himself for some future illegal event."

The elder Newberry said Wednesday that his son has never hurt anyone.

"Police are going ballistic and they are blowing all of this out of proportion," he said.

Newberry was arrested Oct. 6 after he went to school wearing a bulletproof vest over a T-shirt Oct. 3. An officer questioned him about the vest at the charter school, Life Skills Center, 407 E. Memorial Blvd.

Life Skills administrator Curtis Thomas said Newberry walked into a class of about two dozen students wearing the vest. A teacher told Thomas, who in turn told a school resource officer about the student's unusual attire.

RED FLAGS

Jessie Newberry said his son had only attended Life Skills for four days, wore the vest because he was scared at the school and "thought it looked cool to wear body armor."

When Shawn Newberry consented to a search of his car, police charged him after they found a can of Clear Out, a nonlethal tear gas-like spray. Newberry was suspended from school.

Jessie Newberry explained that the Clear Out bottle was empty and his son kept it for protection during his delivery job at Pizza Hut on routes in bad neighborhoods.

After the search, more red flags were raised when Newberry talked about bulletproof vests with officers questioning him, police records state.

"Newberry explained ... that the only way to defeat the body armor is with a head shot or shooting someone's legs hitting the arterial vein so that they would 'bleed out.'"

Officers said in documents they thought it was unusual that Newberry would talk about killing people "in such a calculated way" with three officers present.

The only time Newberry became nervous was when he was asked about the meaning of "10-19" written on a piece of paper found in Newberry's car.

After officers researched Newberry's assigned computer at school, they found he had searched for Bible verses relating to 10-19, and specific dates relating to 10-19-87, including a stock market crash and an attack on Iran's oil platforms by the United States, according to police reports.

Jessie Newberry discounted the significance of the date. He said that his son was planning to get immunization shots for school on Oct. 19.

Before Newberry's arrest, his ex-stepfather, Mark McNeill, turned over to police two AK-47 assault rifles that belonged to Newberry. Earlier this year, McNeill turned over a bulletproof vest, tear gas, a tactical helmet, and two AK-47s belonging to Newberry.

Detectives looked further into Newberry's past and Wednesday searched his home at 2108 Selkirk Lane North. Police found numerous rounds of ammunition of various calibers, a small amount of marijuana, and a video camera with images of Newberry, three other young men and a woman who appear to be target shooting with AK-47s.

During one shooting session, the target was a Ledger newspaper box.

The video also shows the detonation of an explosive device, which was determined to have occurred just off Winter Lake Road in South Lakeland.

After viewing the video, the State Attorney's Office charged Newberry with armed trespassing, grand theft for stealing the box and criminal mischief for damaging the box.

He is in the Polk County Jail in lieu of $605,000 bail.

First gun

Newberry bought his first AK-47 for about $600 about a week after his 18th birthday at Vet's Surplus Store, 819 N. Florida Ave.

"He wanted to start collecting guns, particularly Kalashnikov guns," said Michael Dunn, vice president at Vet's. The weapon, originally developed for the army of the former Soviet Union, is legal as long as it is semiautomatic.

Over time, Newberry bought a helmet, bulletproof vest, Taser, pepper spray and tear gas.

"He was a quiet guy," Dunn said. "He talked some about shooting out on Winter Lake Road."

An LPD officer in the store when Newberry purchased the gun asked him why he was buying it. Newberry could not provide a good reason, Dunn said.

"Right about that time interest peaked in him," Dunn said.

Dunn stopped selling weapons to Newberry after police opened an investigation. "I didn't feel comfortable selling them to him," Dunn said.

Dunn said he told Newberry that he faced jail time if he continued to cause trouble with police.

"At first I thought he was just a nondescript little fellow," Dunn said. "After all this, I have some questions about what he's about."

Newberry's father said police are wrong about his son.

The younger Newberry was home schooled for years and, according to police, only has a 6th-grade education. The home schooling combined with a lack of interaction with students made him extremely shy, his father said.

Recently, Shawn Newberry helped care for his mother, who died of cancer in February. "He was there the whole time," his father said.

[ John Chambliss can be reached at john.chambliss@theledger.com or 863-802-7588. ]
Last modified: October 18. 2007 12:00AM

[Arisin Wind]

There is a previous arrest, look at the booking and release dates.

The booking dates are 10/06/2007. They are current.

These are his current charges.

[pgrass101]

He sounds like a screwed up kid, who needs to be watched carfully. Scot is right with proper supervision (which doesn't sound like he was getting) he probably would be a productive member of society.

[AutoFan]

I still don't see what constitutes armed trespass. Is it for an empty container of what sounds like (from the article) OC on school grounds?

From what I remember from the FL CCW class, so long as it is not over 2 ounces and concealed, its OK without a permit.

[MattInFla]

Perhaps from the video where they were shooting up the paper vending machine? If that occurred at a place where they had no lawful right to be, then you have an armed trespass.

Matt