Mother Not Guilty Of Lying In School Case
Court Alerts
[##_1L|1012839205.jpg|width="120" height="88" alt=""|_##]A jury found a Georgia mother not guilty of lying about where her family lives so her children could attend Marietta city schools. Prosecutors said Jeanine Echols repeatedly lied to school officials, WSB-TV in Atlanta reported. Echols told jurors Thursday that she never meant to deceive the Marietta school district. She said she only placed her three kids in city schools because her family lived in the area, WSB-TV reported.
"We had family in place that could make sure they got to the bus, they were picked up. So if I worked late, I didn’t have to worry about my child," she said.
Echols said her three children excelled in school. In fact, she had attended two awards ceremonies for two of her children days before deputies came knocking on her door.
"The very next day, May 18, I was arrested, and I sat in jail for over five hours. I had never seen the inside of a jail," said Echols.
But in closing statements, prosecutors said Echols signed legal documents seven times saying her family lived at addresses in the city when in fact the family did not.
"Ladies and gentlemen, a lie is a lie, and our law says when you lie to the government, you have committed a crime," said assistant district attorney Grady Moore.
Echols' defense attorney, however, called the 16 felony charges overkill. They asked jurors to send a message that prosecutors had gone too far.
"She wanted her children to get a good quality education in a situation where they would not be latch-key children, where they would not have to come home alone, where they would not have to have a baby sitter, where they would not have to have day care, where their family would be responsible and take care of them," said attorney Vic Reynolds.
Related listings
-
Men Accused of Killings Plead Not Guilty
Court Alerts 05/18/2007[##_1L|1313965735.jpg|width="130" height="90" alt=""|_##]Two men accused of killing a couple and their three young sons and setting their home on fire pleaded not guilty Thursday to new charges in a 49-count indictment. Mark Serrano, 29, and Charles ...
-
Wife of former investment guru pleads guilty
Court Alerts 05/17/2007[##_1L|1043688406.jpg|width="130" height="90" alt=""|_##]The wife of former investment guru, author and financial seminar leader Wade Cook pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to obstruction of justice. In her plea agreement, 54-yea...
-
US court examines 'enemy combatant' procedures
Court Alerts 05/16/2007[##_1L|1092388436.jpg|width="150" height="107" alt=""|_##]A US appeals court examined Tuesday the procedures of a military panel that determines whether a Guantanamo prison camp detainee should be branded an "enemy combatant." The three federal court...
Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.