NEWS- Mea culpa: Alleged Henley hoax bombers not in class

In Issue 618
By HAWES SPENCER
In the News category

Published May 3, 2007 in issue 0618 of the HooK.

In the Hook's April 26 story, "Welcomed back: Alleged school bomb hoaxer back in school," a Henley Middle School student alleged that one of the two boys accused of being involved in a March 27 bomb scare at Henley and Brownsville Elementary schools was back in class. In response to the allegation, Albemarle County School officials checked Henley's attendance records and say that neither of the two students arrested for their alleged part in the incidents was back in school.

"What we know is that they have not attended classes," says Steele Howen, county schools' executive director of administrative services.

Howen concedes that it's possible the accused hoaxers could have been on school grounds.

"They shouldn't be," she says. "If they came back to meet with their principal, they would be in the presence of their parents or a school administrator, by appointment. But, to my understanding, that has not occurred."

In response to this information, calls placed to the story's source and to the accused hoaxer's attorney were not returned by press time.

Howen says the accused students might eventually be allowed to re-enroll.

"That's all pending [the upcoming trial] and what our school board decides to do, which, of course, remains to be seen," she says.

The two accused hoaxers face four counts each of constructing and/or planting a hoax bomb device. Among the items found at Henley were a cylinder with protruding wires, a dark-colored tube taped to a pole, and a note with a red dripping stain and an "anarchy" symbol. The two students go to trial in juvenile court on May 9. If convicted, they could be incarcerated until they turn 21.

In the wake of this regrettable error, the Hook apologizes and has revised its policies for dealing with all unnamed sources, particularly juveniles.--with reporting by Lindsay Barnes

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Discuss " NEWS- Mea culpa: Alleged Henley hoax bombers not in class " Below

Posted by 5/4/2007 2:17:45 PM

So exactly how has the Hook revised it's policies??! This was a pretty big mess up- the only good thing is the emphasis given the correction this week.

Posted by 5/4/2007 3:06:17 PM

Not only was the story baseless but the headline -- "Welcomed Back" -- implying that officials were happy to see the alleged hoaxers back at school -- was totally unsupported by the (inaccurate) article. Seems like the Hook was more interested in stirring the pot than getting the story right, as usual. Shame.

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