02-29-2012, 10:25 PM
Judge Releases Chardon Suspect's Records
(WYTV) The juvenile court records of suspected gunman T.J. Lane were released after a court hearing Wednesday afternoon in Geauga County.
Lane is accused of shooting five students Monday morning at Chardon High School after he allegedly opened fire in the cafeteria. Three of the victims have died.
The Geauga County prosecutor and Lane's attorney objected to the release of Lane's information, but after hearing the attorneys' arguments, Geauga County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell decided the records of Lane, 17, should be made available to the public.
The judge released seven pages of juvenile court records on Lane, all of them related to an assault case in December 2009 when he was 15. The record shows he was in the custody of his grandparents at the time.
Lane was accused of putting another boy in a choke hold and punching him in the face. He was charged with assault, which would have been a first-degree misdemeanor if committed by an adult.
He entered the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty plea to a reduced misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and was given a suspended sentence of up to 30 days in jail. He also was ordered to complete 24 hours of community service and placed on two years probation.
The judge also released a record of a traffic ticket. It shows Lane was charged with failure to control on Oct. 23, 2011. He pleaded "true" on Nov. 17 and was fined $50. His driver's license was suspended for 75 days and he was ordered to attend traffic school, which he completed in December.
The judge wouldn't say if there are other files that might be covered by a law allowing certain records to be withheld.
Attorneys for the media fought to have the records made public.
"We weren't in there trying to drag anybody's name through the mud, as we heard the prosecutors make the argument. The idea was to get information, because there's a high public interest in this issue," said Atty. Kevin T. Shook of Frost Brown Todd Attorneys, LLC.
The judge also decided the media will be allowed to photograph Lane in court at the teen's next hearing March 6.
Grendell also will rule on other pending records requests related to abuse and neglect documents, and also delinquency records related to the victims during that hearing. Grendell will decide later whether to allow more photos and video of the suspect at future hearings and whether Lane's relatives can be photographed.
"I think it provides a check and balance, and it allows people to have confidence that when things like this happen, that justice will be done," Shook said.
The juvenile is currently being held in a detention center and authorities said he has confessed to the crime, but he has not been officially charged. He had an initial court appearance on Tuesday and a hearing has been set for March 16 to determine if Lane should be tried as an adult.
The prosecutor in the case described Lane as "someone who's not well" and said the teen didn't know the victims but chose them randomly. However, a student said one of the shooting victims had been dating Lane's ex-girlfriend.
The prosecutor said Lane admitted to taking a .22-caliber pistol and a knife to the school and firing 10 shots at a group of students.
Meanwhile, grief counselors were on hand Wednesday as teachers returned to school for the first time after the shooting. The faculty parking lot was jammed.
There was no immediate word on how many teachers showed up and the district said the media will be kept out.
Parents have been encouraged to escort their children back to school Thursday.
and just a snippet of another article, which is just a little older than the previous one... (full article here)
Since the shootings, some had speculated that Lane was bullied. Others said a former friend stole his girlfriend. There was a rumor about a beef over drugs.
But Joyce said Lane simply "was not well."
"This was an aberration," Joyce said at a news conference after Lane's appearance in Geauga County Juvenile Court.
While in court, Joyce said Lane told authorities that he did not pick targets.
"He chose them randomly," he said.
But some of the students who were shot had known Lane, at least since middle school. Some rode a bus with him each day. Others were Facebook friends of his.
Witnesses said he was silent and expressionless before and during the shooting. One saw him in a bathroom before the shooting peering at himself in a mirror.
After Lane fled the school, he sat -- alone -- on the side of Woodin Road waiting for deputies to come get him. When they arrived, he stood calmly as a deputy clasped handcuffs over his wrists.
The judge also imposed a gag order, meaning that Farinacci and Joyce cannot talk with the media about the case.
With Lane in court were two aunts and his grandfather, Jack Nolan, who is his legal guardian. Nolan's home on Wilson Mills Road was searched by the FBI Monday.
Once charges are filed, if Grendell finds enough evidence that Lane committed the crimes, he will face charges in an adult criminal court. Ohio law calls for 16- and 17-year-olds charged with serious crimes such as murder be automatically tried as adults.
[b]and...one more:[b]
Alleged Chardon High School gunman grew up in troubled family hit by divorce, violence
CHARDON, Ohio - A 5 On Your Side investigation into the family life of the alleged teen gunman at Chardon High School reveals a family life disrupted by divorce and violence.
Geauga County Common Pleas Court records show the parents of Thomas "TJ" Lane III divorced in March 2002.
One month later, in April 2002, Lane's father, Thomas M. Lane Jr. was issued an indictment charging him with felonious assault, kidnapping and disrupting public service.
The summons was sent to the address on Wilder Road in Chardon that was searched by police early Monday.
Lane does not own the property but records indicate it is owned by a family member. But just three months later, Lane was charged with violating a temporary restraining order.
In August, Lane was charged with attempted murder and a court order was issued prohibiting contact his wife other than visitation with his children.
Finally, in October 2002, Lane struck a plea deal and was sentenced on the assault and disruption charges, but the kidnapping charge was reduced to unlawful restraint and the attempted murder charge was eventually dropped.
Lane was sentenced to four years in prison, but was released just nine months later in July 2003.
(WYTV) The juvenile court records of suspected gunman T.J. Lane were released after a court hearing Wednesday afternoon in Geauga County.
Lane is accused of shooting five students Monday morning at Chardon High School after he allegedly opened fire in the cafeteria. Three of the victims have died.
The Geauga County prosecutor and Lane's attorney objected to the release of Lane's information, but after hearing the attorneys' arguments, Geauga County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell decided the records of Lane, 17, should be made available to the public.
The judge released seven pages of juvenile court records on Lane, all of them related to an assault case in December 2009 when he was 15. The record shows he was in the custody of his grandparents at the time.
Lane was accused of putting another boy in a choke hold and punching him in the face. He was charged with assault, which would have been a first-degree misdemeanor if committed by an adult.
He entered the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty plea to a reduced misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and was given a suspended sentence of up to 30 days in jail. He also was ordered to complete 24 hours of community service and placed on two years probation.
The judge also released a record of a traffic ticket. It shows Lane was charged with failure to control on Oct. 23, 2011. He pleaded "true" on Nov. 17 and was fined $50. His driver's license was suspended for 75 days and he was ordered to attend traffic school, which he completed in December.
The judge wouldn't say if there are other files that might be covered by a law allowing certain records to be withheld.
Attorneys for the media fought to have the records made public.
"We weren't in there trying to drag anybody's name through the mud, as we heard the prosecutors make the argument. The idea was to get information, because there's a high public interest in this issue," said Atty. Kevin T. Shook of Frost Brown Todd Attorneys, LLC.
The judge also decided the media will be allowed to photograph Lane in court at the teen's next hearing March 6.
Grendell also will rule on other pending records requests related to abuse and neglect documents, and also delinquency records related to the victims during that hearing. Grendell will decide later whether to allow more photos and video of the suspect at future hearings and whether Lane's relatives can be photographed.
"I think it provides a check and balance, and it allows people to have confidence that when things like this happen, that justice will be done," Shook said.
The juvenile is currently being held in a detention center and authorities said he has confessed to the crime, but he has not been officially charged. He had an initial court appearance on Tuesday and a hearing has been set for March 16 to determine if Lane should be tried as an adult.
The prosecutor in the case described Lane as "someone who's not well" and said the teen didn't know the victims but chose them randomly. However, a student said one of the shooting victims had been dating Lane's ex-girlfriend.
The prosecutor said Lane admitted to taking a .22-caliber pistol and a knife to the school and firing 10 shots at a group of students.
Meanwhile, grief counselors were on hand Wednesday as teachers returned to school for the first time after the shooting. The faculty parking lot was jammed.
There was no immediate word on how many teachers showed up and the district said the media will be kept out.
Parents have been encouraged to escort their children back to school Thursday.
and just a snippet of another article, which is just a little older than the previous one... (full article here)
Since the shootings, some had speculated that Lane was bullied. Others said a former friend stole his girlfriend. There was a rumor about a beef over drugs.
But Joyce said Lane simply "was not well."
"This was an aberration," Joyce said at a news conference after Lane's appearance in Geauga County Juvenile Court.
While in court, Joyce said Lane told authorities that he did not pick targets.
"He chose them randomly," he said.
But some of the students who were shot had known Lane, at least since middle school. Some rode a bus with him each day. Others were Facebook friends of his.
Witnesses said he was silent and expressionless before and during the shooting. One saw him in a bathroom before the shooting peering at himself in a mirror.
After Lane fled the school, he sat -- alone -- on the side of Woodin Road waiting for deputies to come get him. When they arrived, he stood calmly as a deputy clasped handcuffs over his wrists.
The judge also imposed a gag order, meaning that Farinacci and Joyce cannot talk with the media about the case.
With Lane in court were two aunts and his grandfather, Jack Nolan, who is his legal guardian. Nolan's home on Wilson Mills Road was searched by the FBI Monday.
Once charges are filed, if Grendell finds enough evidence that Lane committed the crimes, he will face charges in an adult criminal court. Ohio law calls for 16- and 17-year-olds charged with serious crimes such as murder be automatically tried as adults.
[b]and...one more:[b]
Alleged Chardon High School gunman grew up in troubled family hit by divorce, violence
CHARDON, Ohio - A 5 On Your Side investigation into the family life of the alleged teen gunman at Chardon High School reveals a family life disrupted by divorce and violence.
Geauga County Common Pleas Court records show the parents of Thomas "TJ" Lane III divorced in March 2002.
One month later, in April 2002, Lane's father, Thomas M. Lane Jr. was issued an indictment charging him with felonious assault, kidnapping and disrupting public service.
The summons was sent to the address on Wilder Road in Chardon that was searched by police early Monday.
Lane does not own the property but records indicate it is owned by a family member. But just three months later, Lane was charged with violating a temporary restraining order.
In August, Lane was charged with attempted murder and a court order was issued prohibiting contact his wife other than visitation with his children.
Finally, in October 2002, Lane struck a plea deal and was sentenced on the assault and disruption charges, but the kidnapping charge was reduced to unlawful restraint and the attempted murder charge was eventually dropped.
Lane was sentenced to four years in prison, but was released just nine months later in July 2003.