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3-inch blade derails FCHS football seniorTue, 01/10/2006 - 5:25pm
By: John Munford
School officials were looking for a gun that was allegedly brought to school by one of Petty’s friends, to whom Petty had given a ride to school that day. No gun was found, but the search turned up a small knife with a three-inch blade in Petty’s car, and he admitted it was his, Petty said. That was enough to get Petty, 17, of Fayetteville arrested for possession of a weapon on campus. Petty was ordered by Principal Charles Warr to attend Fayette County Alternative School for what is essentially the rest of his academic career; he will finish attaining his credits next month. A stand-out Tiger football player, Petty won’t be allowed to graduate with the rest of the Class of 2006, as he is banned from entering the FCHS campus, even for extracurricular activities. Petty’s parents, Curtis and Angie, now regret not insisting on a tribunal hearing to determine their son’s punishment instead of accepting Warr’s recommendation. They said school officials told them Dr. Warr would recommend to a tribunal that Petty be suspended from school for a semester, and Angie Petty said she didn’t want that to happen since it would stall her son’s education, slowing his entry to college. Petty said he’ll have to spend some of his hard-earned money on an attorney to battle the criminal charge, which he hopes will be thrown out of court. After all, the only reason the knife was found is because school officials were looking for the alleged gun, and he wasn’t accused of bringing the gun to school. Petty estimates the attorney will cost $1,500, or more. He never even threatened to hurt anybody with the knife, he added. Schools spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach says the system doesn’t use a “zero tolerance” weapons policy but once an item has been found that meets the definition of a weapon under Georgia law, “the principal’s hands are basically tied.” FCHS Principal Dr. Charles Warr declined a request for an interview about Petty’s case. According to the student conduct code for Fayette County schools, the penalty for possession of a weapon on school campus can range from suspension to permanent expulsion. The most embarrassing part of the whole incident, Petty said, was when he was being led off campus in handcuffs and the rumors it spawned at school. “Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of my football coaches, and he had a look in his eye like, ‘What are you doing?’” Petty said. “I’m wondering, am I going to jail for a pocket knife? Are you serious?” Petty said. Meanwhile, Petty’s reputation has taken a hit at school, he said. “Certain people don’t want to talk to me anymore,” Petty said. His mom had the opposite reaction when she came to the Fayette County Jail to bail out her son. “I just hugged him and told him I was proud of him,” Angie Petty said. When he asked why, she replied: “Because you stood up and told the truth.” Andy Petty says he keeps the knife in his car because he needs it to open the door to the parking lot kiosk at his job in downtown Atlanta. The door’s lock is broken and the knife is the only way he can get in, he said. Petty said he has only been in minor trouble at school twice before, and one of those issues had to do with a misunderstanding related to paperwork he tried to file to exempt an exam; he said he was falsely accused of forging the document. The other incident involved minor horseplay in the lunchroom, his mother said. Petty has straight As in all his classes except for Web page design. Curtis Petty said he wished Dr. Warr had evaluated his son’s case before reporting him to authorities, judging the merit of Andy’s work at the school. “I’d have been on Dr. Warr’s side if it had been in his pocket,” Curtis Petty said of the knife. Although Petty is enrolled at the Alternative School now, his diploma will only say Fayette County High School, Berry-Dreisbach said. But Petty and his parents worry about the reference to the alternative school on his transcripts, which will affect his chances to get into college. Furman University and Valdosta State University are interested in Petty, particularly given his status on the football field, where he was one of the Tigers’ top defenders this past season; he led the team in tackles at strong safety. But Petty has his heart set on attending Georgia State University and getting a business degree. Ultimately, he wants to be a music producer. Petty said he understands why his car was searched, and he says it’s the school’s duty to protect everyone from a potential Columbine incident, referring to the Colorado high school where several students went on a deadly shooting rampage several years ago. But Petty thinks in this case he shouldn’t be held accountable for such a small mistake, with such a small knife. “I’ve never even threatened anybody,” he said. login to post comments
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