Charges dropped against father jailed for taking an interest in his child's education
From the Article 8 Alliance...
CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS (OCTOBER 20) Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley informed the court this morning that her office has decided not to pursue the criminal trespasing [sic] charge against Lexington parent David Parker. The jury trial had been scheduled to begin this morning in Concord District Court.
Parker was arrested on April 27 during a scheduled meeting at his son's elementary school in Lexington over his insistance [sic] on being notified when adults discuss homosexuality or transgenderism with his 6-year-old son. The school officials ordered him to leave, and ordered him charged with trespassing when he refused. The case has become a national outrage; last night it was featured on the ABC-TV World News Tonight....
Judge Robert McKenna used a relatively unusual procedure to order the case delalyed [sic] into administrative limbo, and it will be dropped completely after one year. There is no admission of guilt by Parker, and the full presumption of his innocence officially continues...
"I would have loved to defend this case," said Denner. "But this resolution is far too good to pass up. It's a great result. The DA chose not to prosecute. There is no admission of guilt and no presumption of guilt."
Procedurally, Parker has been placed on "pre-trial probation" for one year, where he promises to "obey all lawful orders" and pays a $50 fee. There are other possible restrictions, but Parker's lawyers will likely get involved if the state makes any unreasonable demands....
However, the criminal trespass case has no legal connection to the ban that Lexington School Superintendent Paul Ash continues to impose against Parker, keeping him from all school property in the town. This has caused a great deal of contention among Parker's supporters, who see this as a punitive act of intimidation, since Parker has never demonstrated himself to be a danger to anyone.
A year's probation and what amounts to a fifty dollar fine for the crime of caring about his son's education?!? And they have the nerve to call that a victory!!! Call it what it really is—surrender.
The couple on the right in the photo above are David and Tonia Parker. The man at the mic is Jeffrey Denner with Neil Tassel over his right shoulder.
Posted by Danny Carlton at October 21, 2005 05:30 AM