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Apr 27, 2007 10:52 pm US/Central
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Student: Violent Essay Was Taken Out Of Context
Allen Lee Was Arrested, Charged With Crime For School Assignment
By Nick Swedberg and Tom Musick / Northwest Herald
CARY, Ill. (Northwest Herald) ―
In addition to telling his teacher she could inspire the first shooting at Cary-Grove High School, Allen Lee also wrote about stabbing, drug use and a dream about a shooting spree in an essay for his English class, records show.
But Lee said Thursday night that the excerpts were taken out of context in an assignment that explicitly instructed students not to judge or censor their writing.
Lee said a friend planned to distribute the complete essay and assignment to Cary-Grove students Friday to provide context to a story that has gained national attention.
"It's not the full [essay], or with the assignment," Lee said of a criminal complaint in which prosecutors charged him with disorderly conduct Thursday. "People are already judging this without seeing the assignment. ... None of it was meant to be threatening or harmful to anyone."
Louis Bianchi, McHenry County state's attorney, said Thursday he would prosecute Lee on the misdemeanor charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine.
"I think the teacher did the appropriate thing," Bianchi said. "Now, it's going to be brought to the attention of the courts."
Cary Police arrested Lee, 18, near his home Tuesday morning on disorderly conduct charges after Cary-Grove Principal Susan Popp called police.
Lee, who plans to enter boot camp for the Marines in October, said teacher Nora Capron told the class to write about whatever they wanted.
A copy of the assignment obtained Thursday night included the following guidelines for a "free writing" exercise:
• "Write nonstop for a set period of time."
• "Do not make corrections as you write."
• "Keep writing, even if you have to write something like, 'I don't know what to write.' "
• "Write whatever comes into your mind."
• "Do not judge or censor what you are writing."
The assignment included additional guidelines such as, "If your free writing is neat and coherent, you probably haven't loosened up enough."
The Lee family met with representatives of High School District 155 Thursday to discuss potential disciplinary measures, said Dane Loizzo, whose law firm is representing Lee.
"We're attempting to get Allen back into the school with his friends and peers as quickly and judiciously as possible," said Loizzo, of the Woodstock-based Law Offices of Loizzo and Loizzo.
Messages left with district Superintendent Jill Hawk and district spokesman Jeff Puma were not immediately returned Thursday night.
Criminal ChargesSchool officials allege that in an essay for his ninth-period English class on Monday, Lee wrote about a dream where he went into a building, started shooting people with guns, had sex with the dead bodies. He then retracted it saying, "but it would be funny if I did."
A person can be charged with disorderly conduct if their actions are alarming or disturbing to others.
The district responded to another threat made last week at Crystal Lake Central High School. About half the students at Central stayed home Friday and police presence at the school was increased after threatening graffiti was found on a bathroom wall. The graffiti was determined to be a prank, officials have said.
Capron read Lee's essay Monday night and called her department chair, who then spoke with Cary-Grove Principal Susan Popp.
Popp called police and signed the disorderly conduct complaint shortly afterward, prosecutors said, and Lee was arrested Tuesday morning.
Attorney Thomas Loizzo said the student complied with the assignment.
"How is the student supposed to know where the line is between creativity and censorship?" he said. "The assignment didn't specify that if you wrote something that the teacher thought would be offensive, that you could then be prosecuted criminally."
Attorney Dane Loizzo agreed.
"You have to look at it in context," Dane Loizzo said. "It was written in class with his friends around. It wasn't like this was some loner sitting in a corner or in his bedroom late at night scribbling these thoughts."
School DisciplineDane Loizzo said the Lee family and school district officials were moving toward a resolution that would free Allen from any disciplinary action.
He said a timeline for resolution was discussed but would not reveal details.
"Any sort of penalties or disciplinary actions are yet to be determined," Dane Loizzo said. "In my opinion, I don't believe that it is warranted. Allen is a good kid."
He also said expected a similar result for the criminal charge.
"Given the facts as I know them, Allen [Lee] will certainly be vindicated," Loizzo said.
Lee said he was encouraged by the support of his Cary-Grove classmates since his arrest.
"When I woke up [Wednesday] morning, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack," Lee said. "It's just the greatest feeling in the world when you have someone behind you."
Despite the controversy, Lee said he did not regret writing the essay.
"I did what I was told for that assignment," he said.
Lee said he still wanted to join the Marine Corps and hoped the matter could be resolved before October.
"That's still my goal," Lee said.
(CBS 2 and the Northwest Herald are news partners covering stories in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. If you know of stories happening in this region, cont)