mistanice
03-13-2007, 09:10 PM
By JESSICA SAVAGE
The Lufkin Daily News
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Police made a 10th and final arrest late Monday in connection to a botched senior prank March 6 at Diboll High School.
A deputy with Angelina County Sheriff's Department picked up senior football quarterback Gilbert Moye, 19, and charged him with burglary of a building.
Police arrested nine other senior football players early Monday including: Draylen Fussell, 18; Jarrod Christmas, 18; Carlos Nunez, 18; Ben Charles Beaty, 17; Sean Havard, 18; Michael Mitchell, 17; Jayce Murry, 18; Courtney Tillman, 17; and Winston Ives, 18.
They face a felony charge for allegedly breaking into school property to carry out a senior prank on the night of March 6.
The incident, discovered early March 7 by custodial staff, allegedly postponed the start of the school day by approximately 10 minutes, said Jake Denman, chief of police for Diboll Independent School District. No details of the prank are being made public, said Denman, to avoid possible copy-cat pranks.
All 10 of the students would likely be placed on school suspension when classes resume next week, according to Diboll ISD Athletic Director Gary Martel.
Tammy Ives, mother of Diboll senior Winston Ives who was arrested early Monday, said the community is working together and treating the incident as a "family matter."
"Most of these boys have grown up all of their lives together," she said.
Ives and 15 other parents met with an assistant Angelina County district attorney Monday to voice their concerns.
"We are proud of these boys, but right now we are madder than hell at them," she said.
The community, including school officials from the "top on down," are working together, she said.
As one administrator stated, the district is not "out to get" kids, but help them, said Brent Hawkins, Diboll Independent School District interim superintendent.
"We're going to make sure they get the consequences they deserve but at the same time make sure the rest of their lives aren't ruined over one mistake," he said. "I expect great things out of them when they leave Diboll High School and go out into the rest of the world."
Hawkins said he expected DHS Principal Daniel Lopez to have a decision early next week concerning the 10 students' school attendance.
Martel, who is also Diboll's head football coach, said most of the players arrested had already called him and apologized. "They owned up to it. It was something that was meant to be funny when it started out, and it turned out to be not funny at all."
Each will most likely receive deferred adjudication, a form of probation that does not carry a conviction.
STORY LINK (http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/14/Diboll_prank.html)
The Lufkin Daily News
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Police made a 10th and final arrest late Monday in connection to a botched senior prank March 6 at Diboll High School.
A deputy with Angelina County Sheriff's Department picked up senior football quarterback Gilbert Moye, 19, and charged him with burglary of a building.
Police arrested nine other senior football players early Monday including: Draylen Fussell, 18; Jarrod Christmas, 18; Carlos Nunez, 18; Ben Charles Beaty, 17; Sean Havard, 18; Michael Mitchell, 17; Jayce Murry, 18; Courtney Tillman, 17; and Winston Ives, 18.
They face a felony charge for allegedly breaking into school property to carry out a senior prank on the night of March 6.
The incident, discovered early March 7 by custodial staff, allegedly postponed the start of the school day by approximately 10 minutes, said Jake Denman, chief of police for Diboll Independent School District. No details of the prank are being made public, said Denman, to avoid possible copy-cat pranks.
All 10 of the students would likely be placed on school suspension when classes resume next week, according to Diboll ISD Athletic Director Gary Martel.
Tammy Ives, mother of Diboll senior Winston Ives who was arrested early Monday, said the community is working together and treating the incident as a "family matter."
"Most of these boys have grown up all of their lives together," she said.
Ives and 15 other parents met with an assistant Angelina County district attorney Monday to voice their concerns.
"We are proud of these boys, but right now we are madder than hell at them," she said.
The community, including school officials from the "top on down," are working together, she said.
As one administrator stated, the district is not "out to get" kids, but help them, said Brent Hawkins, Diboll Independent School District interim superintendent.
"We're going to make sure they get the consequences they deserve but at the same time make sure the rest of their lives aren't ruined over one mistake," he said. "I expect great things out of them when they leave Diboll High School and go out into the rest of the world."
Hawkins said he expected DHS Principal Daniel Lopez to have a decision early next week concerning the 10 students' school attendance.
Martel, who is also Diboll's head football coach, said most of the players arrested had already called him and apologized. "They owned up to it. It was something that was meant to be funny when it started out, and it turned out to be not funny at all."
Each will most likely receive deferred adjudication, a form of probation that does not carry a conviction.
STORY LINK (http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/14/Diboll_prank.html)