A 16-year-old Evergreen High School student faces criminal charges as a result of an investigation conducted after he was suspended from school for content he posted on MySpace.com
The boy is being held at Mount View Detention Center in Jefferson County and is charged with three misdemeanor counts of juvenile possession of a handgun, according to Pam Russell, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.
Jefferson County police officers searched the boy’s home on Feb. 10 after receiving a tip from his school about pictures he posted of himself holding handguns.
“We believe the weapons were family weapons that he had access to,” said Jim Shires, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
If convicted, the boy faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The boy is scheduled for a hearing in Jefferson County court on Feb. 27.
The boy was initially suspended from Evergreen High School when photographs and comments posted on his personal profile on MySpace.com, a website for social networking, circulated throughout the school community, said Jefferson County School District spokesman Rick Kaufman.
In one photo, nine rifles surrounded the boy who was lying on the floor holding two handguns. The caption read, “Angel o’ death on wings o’ lead.”
Kaufman said many parents were calling with concerns and some kept their children home from school.
To put parents at ease, Kaufman said the district sent letters on Feb. 13 to parents that said the district has taken appropriate action.
The school suspended the boy on Feb. 10 for “detrimental behavior that created a substantial disruption to the educational process,” Kaufman said.
“The photos were very disturbing, and while the content was not a direct threat, we just felt it was important for us to take appropriate disciplinary action,” Kaufman said.
In light of the boy’s arrest, school officials are considering additional disciplinary action, including expulsion.
The boy is the second student in the metro area to come under fire for content published on MySpace.com.
Bryan Lopez, 16, was suspended from Littleton High School for satirical comments posted on the website about his school. The suspension was cut short after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue the school district for violating the student’s First Amendment rights and reached an agreement with the district to allow the student to return to classes.
Staff writer Katherine Crowell can be reached at kcrowell@denverpost.com.
