Student to front court accused of school stabbing

By Chris J. McDaniel

OCTOBER 1, 2008

The story of a you서산출장안마ng man who took to Instagram to post a statement and photos of himself after a stabbing at his high school has come to light.

James L. Smith, 20, faces a preliminary hearing Wednesday on charges that he stabbed a student, 16-year-old Matthew포커 S. Johnson, in the ankle and wrist on campus in May.

In a post Wednesday on his Instagram page, Smith stated that he was in the school system for three years and was now in a foster home with his family. The post also included photos of himself with several other students. He wrote, in part, “No one will ever say I’m a bad person…I have a mission…and I see it all around us.”

“It’s so hard for me to believe I could live the life I am living right now. Not having much to do is tough and I can’t even afford my rent…I can’t even afford to walk around for a few days.”

Smith was placed into the foster home of friends in the early hours of Monday morning and was taken to the Franklin County Youth Center to be treated for a non-life threatening injury to the ankle.

“He is an exceptionally intelligent young man with tremendous potential,” said Franklin County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Taryn Kowalsky. “He is a very caring young man, and he also has a great sense of humor. He will continue to do what he wants to do because he loves learning.”

The juvenile’s friends and family said Smith was bullied for much of his life. They said the young man’s classmates called the bullying, and a few incidents of physical violence, “scary.”

At the Franklin County Youth Center, Smith’s parents spoke at Monday’s event. The following are excerpts from them:

“I really hope tha카지노톡t all of the community who knew and care about him can find strength to continue working on making him happy. He’ll have friends. I promise.” -Kathy Smith “I want you to try to help his recovery. I want to see him succeed. I want to love him again.” -Shelley Smith “It’s very sad that someone that’s been hurt could be treated so badly when he is actually doing so much good.” -Daniel Blevins “Thank you for speaking out for this child! We want to know that he’s loved.” -Reverend John