Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

The Straight Story

(48,121 posts)
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 02:52 PM Apr 2013

Florida Teen Girl Charged With Felony After Science Experiment Goes Bad

Florida Teen Girl Charged With Felony After Science Experiment Goes Bad

Kiera Wilmot got good grades and had a perfect behavior record. She wasn't the kind of kid you'd expect to find hauled away in handcuffs and expelled from school, but that's exactly what happened after an attempt at a science project went horribly wrong.

On 7 a.m. on Monday, the 16 year-old mixed some common household chemicals in a small 8 oz water bottle on the ground of Bartow High School in Barton, Florida. The reaction caused a small explosion that caused the top to pop up and produced some smoke. No one was hurt and no damage was caused.

According to WTSP, Wilmot told police that she was merely conducting a science experiment. Though her teachers knew nothing of the specific project, her principal seems to agree.

"She made a bad choice. Honestly, I don't think she meant to ever hurt anyone," principal Ron Pritchard told the station. "She wanted to see what would happen [when the chemicals mixed] and was shocked by what it did. Her mother is shocked, too."

After the explosion Wilmot was taken into custody by a school resources officer and charged with possession/discharge of a weapon on school grounds and discharging a destructive device. She will be tried as an adult.

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2013/04/florida_teen_girl_charged_with.php

122 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Florida Teen Girl Charged With Felony After Science Experiment Goes Bad (Original Post) The Straight Story Apr 2013 OP
"She will be tried as an adult" WTF?? arcane1 Apr 2013 #1
Put me on that Jury. Lochloosa Apr 2013 #23
Me also...she'd be home for supper. BlueJazz Apr 2013 #45
Gosh, I feel so much safer now! Flagrante Apr 2013 #61
Someone is under the pay of the Private Prison system Drale Apr 2013 #2
Thanks for that link. dipsydoodle Apr 2013 #8
damn! skip fox Apr 2013 #27
you really gotta wonder barbtries Apr 2013 #50
Judges Plead Guilty in Scheme to Jail Youths for Profit bananas Apr 2013 #87
Why did I know this young lady was going to be a minority. Arctic Dave Apr 2013 #3
oddly - first thing that popped into my mind also. rurallib Apr 2013 #30
it took me a minute, but yeah. barbtries Apr 2013 #51
She's black? NO WAY. Brickbat Apr 2013 #4
You could probably do the same without the smoke dipsydoodle Apr 2013 #5
Once again it's fucking Florida sharp_stick Apr 2013 #6
Once you have "school resource officers" in the school, everything is a potential crime... 1monster Apr 2013 #100
That is too fucking scary. nt SunSeeker May 2013 #113
School reaction is so effed up its ridiculous, benld74 Apr 2013 #7
welcome to america 2013...out of it's fucking mind spanone Apr 2013 #9
How Terribly Sad MagickMuffin Apr 2013 #10
+1 ArcticFox Apr 2013 #29
+ Another 1. This is so effed up! nt historylovr Apr 2013 #91
Yeah, I bet being tried as an adult she'll get more time then the two convicted rapists in Ohio davidpdx Apr 2013 #108
+1 caseymoz May 2013 #112
EXPLICIT LANGUAGE WARNING: How can any human being with a conscience Shankapotomus Apr 2013 #11
doubleyou tee ef progressoid Apr 2013 #12
One out of three Florida residents end up arrested at some point. They love arresting people. stevenleser Apr 2013 #13
Gee, my 10th grade chem teacher used to enjoy telling how to blow things up. baldguy Apr 2013 #14
my sixth grade english teacher brought a cross bow to class arely staircase Apr 2013 #17
What???? hunter Apr 2013 #15
We all brought the same types of things. I don't remember anyone ever dying from any of MellowYellow Apr 2013 #26
Hell, I brought a handgun to school... malthaussen Apr 2013 #85
My kid picked up a toy gun in the prop room of the school drama department AFTER another kid 1monster Apr 2013 #101
I guess she did learn something kudzu22 Apr 2013 #16
Yes. Chemicals + explosion + zero tolerance = go directly to jail. Initech Apr 2013 #25
She learned that . . . Brigid Apr 2013 #43
I hate knee-jerk reactions. Apophis Apr 2013 #18
Um... Dr. Strange Apr 2013 #19
Probably meant "expulsion". But, you know, the education system is busy doing dumb things like this. nolabear Apr 2013 #56
That was my thought, too... Ms. Toad Apr 2013 #73
Insanity runs rampant SamKnause Apr 2013 #20
No sane jury would convict Renew Deal Apr 2013 #21
another child sacrifice to the cca - leftyohiolib Apr 2013 #22
The CCA claims more profit. Initech Apr 2013 #24
Under the conditions of this arrest... jmowreader Apr 2013 #28
Our chem teacher was deaf from years of blowing shit up BrotherIvan Apr 2013 #31
Oooh, oooh, oohh! I know what that makes. /nt TheMadMonk Apr 2013 #71
She'll probably get 5 years+ in jail, will never find work. Dash87 Apr 2013 #32
JFC Blue Owl Apr 2013 #33
Yay! One more success for zero-tolerance laws! (nt) jeff47 Apr 2013 #34
Zero Tolerance is for Fucking Idiots. Iggo Apr 2013 #36
All this nonsense will make her miss final exams, book reports and other work. lpbk2713 Apr 2013 #35
Another step towards Idiocracy ramapo Apr 2013 #37
Sadly, that was my first thought too... Moostache Apr 2013 #110
When I was in high school we made a point of blowing stuff up. The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #38
Exactly!!! SwissTony Apr 2013 #46
My drama class used to save up the hairdye in a spray can stuff SoCalDem Apr 2013 #66
Our trick was collecting aerosols at the local dump, consolidating them... TheMadMonk Apr 2013 #72
??? heaven05 Apr 2013 #39
I think an investigation needs to be Jenoch Apr 2013 #40
WTF is wrong with this country??? When I was in 8th grade we studied kestrel91316 Apr 2013 #41
It is the "zero tolerance" BS which is out of control. nt Stretch714 Apr 2013 #65
We are regressing to the bad old days of the '50s, folks. AverageJoe90 Apr 2013 #42
It's worse than the '50s. The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #44
Maybe in your locale. AverageJoe90 Apr 2013 #74
We need to return to the 90's. I graduated in '94 and kids blew up Jennicut Apr 2013 #93
Was this actually during a science class or did she make a bottle bomb and set it off in the hall? NightWatcher Apr 2013 #47
Sounds like she did it on school property but outside the building. tclambert Apr 2013 #63
How about mento's and a Pepsi? Terror... xtraxritical May 2013 #118
She needs a better teacher. Warren DeMontague Apr 2013 #48
what the fuck goes on barbtries Apr 2013 #49
AAAAAAHHHHHGGGGGGGG!!!!!!! BlueJazz Apr 2013 #52
I love the pic Tyrs WolfDaemon Apr 2013 #68
They look mighty vicious ....and ready for play ! BlueJazz Apr 2013 #69
This meets the FBI definition of a WMD, I believe BlueStreak Apr 2013 #53
Where exactly does "MASS" fit into this definition? SwissTony Apr 2013 #89
Just as ridiculous as claiming that a pressure cooker BlueStreak Apr 2013 #90
What a load of CRAP Warpy Apr 2013 #54
Would say Jesus effin' Christ were it not blasphemous indepat Apr 2013 #55
She might have tried this one from Youtube: tclambert Apr 2013 #57
How about baking soda and vinigar? xtraxritical May 2013 #119
How about bleach and ammonia? xtraxritical May 2013 #121
I knew science was going to become illegal. TNNurse Apr 2013 #58
If Bart Simpson were real, he'd have been executed by now. n/t n2doc Apr 2013 #59
What happens if The Wizard Apr 2013 #60
WTSP Video Report on the Situation... xocet Apr 2013 #62
Didja notice on the same page was a story about some guy raping and brutalizing horses... TreasonousBastard May 2013 #117
I didn't see that. Bizarre.... n/t xocet May 2013 #122
I expect there to be some while male panic over the idea of a girl bomber. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #64
Yaaaay!! Fuck science in the ear!! derby378 Apr 2013 #67
Who is the prosecutor? They need to find something better to do. Glimmer of Hope Apr 2013 #70
Lock this punk away for 20 years, I say. It only starts with small science experiments.... Bucky Apr 2013 #75
We clearly have a Newest Reality Apr 2013 #76
Let's be honest here - she was arrested for... CincyDem Apr 2013 #77
16 years old? Death penalty for sure. Turbineguy Apr 2013 #78
At that same high school in the 60s a classmate of mine made poison gases csziggy Apr 2013 #79
There are too many "law enforcement" that are old dish rags. LiberalFighter Apr 2013 #80
PSSST! DO something! Th1onein Apr 2013 #81
The superintendent is a Green Lantern? Arkana May 2013 #115
VERY PRODUCTIVE! Th1onein May 2013 #120
"will be forced to complete her diploma through an explosion program" muriel_volestrangler Apr 2013 #82
This is going to go on her permanent record Capt. Obvious Apr 2013 #83
It doesn't sound like she's entirely innocent. Captain Stern Apr 2013 #84
This just in from the Hair on fire brigade of the right wing: Chemistry is now outlawed. Javaman Apr 2013 #86
Hair on Fire brigade of Left Wing : something smells odd. mwooldri Apr 2013 #95
Dang, I hope you didn't burn yourself too badly. Javaman Apr 2013 #96
Was OK thanks. Hair turned from blonde to silver, smelled bad for a bit. mwooldri Apr 2013 #97
Another one for mugshots.com ...guilty or not. L0oniX Apr 2013 #88
It's Florida. No surprise. lebkuchen Apr 2013 #92
a waste of resources prosecuting a straight A student who made a bad decision noiretextatique Apr 2013 #94
Someone mentioned "after recent events"... levp Apr 2013 #98
It gets worse. Mr. X Apr 2013 #99
Don't even really need chemistry knowledge. Codeine Apr 2013 #107
WTF?! sakabatou Apr 2013 #102
It starts with a small explosion The Wizard Apr 2013 #103
These stories are nuts...not one adult is thinking. n/t Jefferson23 Apr 2013 #104
I've said it before...our justice system is becoming a joke davidn3600 Apr 2013 #105
Ignorant motherfuckers. Codeine Apr 2013 #106
This country has gone to shit DainBramaged Apr 2013 #109
... SammyWinstonJack Apr 2013 #111
Of course, if she had given a gun to a five year old Alcibiades May 2013 #114
She bought the chemicals from home - and did not do her "experiment" in a classroom. hack89 May 2013 #116

barbtries

(28,702 posts)
50. you really gotta wonder
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:25 PM
Apr 2013

if there is such a connection. i hope someone's following the money over there.

bananas

(27,509 posts)
87. Judges Plead Guilty in Scheme to Jail Youths for Profit
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 11:14 AM
Apr 2013

Wow, thanks for that link, for anyone who didn't look at it, here it is:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022772384

Judges Plead Guilty in Scheme to Jail Youths for Profit

At worst, Hillary Transue thought she might get a stern lecture when she appeared before a judge for building a spoof MySpace page mocking the assistant principal at her high school in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. She was a stellar student who had never been in trouble, and the page stated clearly at the bottom that it was just a joke.

Instead, the judge sentenced her to three months at a juvenile detention center on a charge of harassment.

She was handcuffed and taken away as her stunned parents stood by.

“I felt like I had been thrown into some surreal sort of nightmare,” said Hillary, 17, who was sentenced in 2007. “All I wanted to know was how this could be fair and why the judge would do such a thing.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/us/13judge.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

7 years? That's it, this judge should get a minimum of 20 years. She has destroyed people's lives. The Judge and the people in charge of those two companies should never been heard from again and should be black listed to the point were they will never do anything more than flip burgers again. This is possibly the worst thing I've ever heard a judge do.

 

Arctic Dave

(13,812 posts)
3. Why did I know this young lady was going to be a minority.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:04 PM
Apr 2013

Exhibit 100,037 in ways to disenfranchise and lock up minorities in America.

sharp_stick

(14,400 posts)
6. Once again it's fucking Florida
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:12 PM
Apr 2013

So often this idiotic shit seems to happen in Florida. Is there something in the water down there that takes away the ability to think critically?

A felony charge for a high school student that didn't hurt or even intend to hurt anyone or cause damage.

1monster

(11,012 posts)
100. Once you have "school resource officers" in the school, everything is a potential crime...
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 07:18 PM
Apr 2013

It isn't just Florida. It's anywhere cops are used as a discipline measure in the schools. And quite often, once the resource officer is involved, the school administrators have no say in the outcome of a situation.

MagickMuffin

(15,892 posts)
10. How Terribly Sad
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:17 PM
Apr 2013

She is going to be charged as an adult even thought she is 16. Yet, 17 year old boys who rape unconscious girls are charged as juveniles.

Why am I not surprised!


davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
108. Yeah, I bet being tried as an adult she'll get more time then the two convicted rapists in Ohio
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 09:06 PM
Apr 2013

I believe one of the two were 16, and the other one was 17 in that case.

I hope this is dropped or they at least consider a Juvenal court

Shankapotomus

(4,840 posts)
11. EXPLICIT LANGUAGE WARNING: How can any human being with a conscience
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:19 PM
Apr 2013

serve as a police officer in the state of Florida???? How?

"What? Five year old having a temper tantrum??? Get the cuffs, Jim Bob!!! Looks like we got a wild one!" "What? Some one jumped on stage at a party and is having a little too much fun??? Get the taser, Jim Bob!!! This could get ugly!!!" "What? Accident at the school? Black girl? Grab them there cuffs, Jim Bob, time to needlessly shame another brown person."


Is it so hard to extricate yourself out of that line of work in Florida that you need to support the perpetuation of jack booted thuggery and injustice by your participation in it? I'd rather eat out of a fucking dumpster!!!

FUCK THE FLORIDA JUSTICE SYSTEM!!! FUCK YOU!!!!


 

stevenleser

(32,886 posts)
13. One out of three Florida residents end up arrested at some point. They love arresting people.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:24 PM
Apr 2013

It's really ridiculous. This was a legitimate mistake. Poor girl.

 

baldguy

(36,649 posts)
14. Gee, my 10th grade chem teacher used to enjoy telling how to blow things up.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:26 PM
Apr 2013

That's why they made us wear lab coats & goggles. You could hear the *pops* of the stoppers coming off the flasks from anywhere in the west wing of the school.

arely staircase

(12,482 posts)
17. my sixth grade english teacher brought a cross bow to class
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:31 PM
Apr 2013

and then wracked his nuts (badly) with the thing in front of the whole class. he doubled over and fell on the floor while we laughed.

it was awesome - he sustained no permanent injuries, as far as I know.

hunter

(38,264 posts)
15. What????
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:29 PM
Apr 2013

I'm glad I'm not a kid today.

Things I brought to school:

My pocket knife.

X-acto knives and box cutters.

Estes rockets and ignitors. (We had an after school rocketry club.)

And not to let the teacher know, snappers, firecrackers, cherry bombs, and M-80s.

We mostly had sense enough not to play with them during school, but not always.

 

MellowYellow

(35 posts)
26. We all brought the same types of things. I don't remember anyone ever dying from any of
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:51 PM
Apr 2013

it yet now everyone demands everything be banned for our safety. It's ashame that people are so terrified of the world around them that they can't allow kids to be kids anymore. More kids have drown or been hit by cars than killed by any of the things you mentioned. Maybe we should ban pools and cars. What happened to the world?

malthaussen

(17,066 posts)
85. Hell, I brought a handgun to school...
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 10:33 AM
Apr 2013

... loaded with blanks. To be used in the school play. All that happened was the principal locked it in his desk until the play started. But that was 40 years ago.

-- Mal

1monster

(11,012 posts)
101. My kid picked up a toy gun in the prop room of the school drama department AFTER another kid
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 07:26 PM
Apr 2013

did the same. They both pointed the TOY PROP GUNS at other students. (The class was in the prop room tidying it up on the teacher's instructions.)

My son was threatened with expulsion and the first kid was required to write an affidavit on how scary my son was... (The principal was a bully and should never have been allowed to be near children, let alone be a principal...)

I took my kids out of that school the next day.

Initech

(99,915 posts)
25. Yes. Chemicals + explosion + zero tolerance = go directly to jail.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:50 PM
Apr 2013

Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Boy I'd love to see the constitutionality of these bullshit zero tolerance policies brought before SCOTUS.

Dr. Strange

(25,898 posts)
19. Um...
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:37 PM
Apr 2013
She was then taken to a juvenile assessment center. She was also expelled from school and will be forced to complete her diploma through an explosion program.


An explosion program? Isn't that what caused the problem in the first place?

nolabear

(41,915 posts)
56. Probably meant "expulsion". But, you know, the education system is busy doing dumb things like this.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:41 PM
Apr 2013

Teaching spelling would be so, so, ordinary.

Ms. Toad

(33,915 posts)
73. That was my thought, too...
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 09:34 PM
Apr 2013

I have those two lines on my clipboard, but was checking to see who else caught them first.

SamKnause

(13,043 posts)
20. Insanity runs rampant
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:38 PM
Apr 2013

There is zero common sense in this country.

I am beginning to think the entire country has gone insane.

jmowreader

(50,453 posts)
28. Under the conditions of this arrest...
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 03:56 PM
Apr 2013

...is there anyone here who wouldn't have been sent to jail for doing that? Blowing shit up is the best part of chem class.

Our worst terrorist was the guy who wiped up nitric acid with a roll of paper towels. He's head of the computer science department at Pacific Lutheran University now.

BrotherIvan

(9,126 posts)
31. Our chem teacher was deaf from years of blowing shit up
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 04:13 PM
Apr 2013

It was the only reason many of the students showed up to class. So now students are jailed for what was once a child's chemistry kit?

Dash87

(3,220 posts)
32. She'll probably get 5 years+ in jail, will never find work.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 04:15 PM
Apr 2013

We have become an idiot society that forces non-success. This is worthy of detention, not ruining her life and producing another life long criminal who would otherwise use their intelligence to contribute to society.

Another soul to feed the hungry private prison system, it seems.

lpbk2713

(42,696 posts)
35. All this nonsense will make her miss final exams, book reports and other work.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 04:42 PM
Apr 2013



At the very least, the result of all this will be her failing the school year.
This is so stupid it's unbelievable. Her teachers should share some of
the blame for not knowing what she was doing.

ramapo

(4,585 posts)
37. Another step towards Idiocracy
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 04:50 PM
Apr 2013

I swear the majority of this once great country is a land of idiots, by idiots, and for idiots.

Is there no sense left?

Moostache

(9,895 posts)
110. Sadly, that was my first thought too...
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 09:18 PM
Apr 2013

Idiocracy was created as a spoof...I am beyond sad to see it becoming a goddamn documentary in my own lifetime.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
38. When I was in high school we made a point of blowing stuff up.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 04:52 PM
Apr 2013

Sometimes we blew stuff up (though not very dramatically) in our actual science classes. Nobody ever got hurt, or arrested. Instead, we learned what kinds of chemicals should not be mixed together.

SwissTony

(2,560 posts)
46. Exactly!!!
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:18 PM
Apr 2013

Chemistry class was for doing what we were supposed to doing, followed by our own variations. We just stayed close to the tap in case we had to was something painful off our hands.

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
66. My drama class used to save up the hairdye in a spray can stuff
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 07:12 PM
Apr 2013

and when we had enough we would sneak into the boiler room and toss them into the fire-thingie...and then wait for the BOOM...

In today's climate we would have all been in jail..

 

TheMadMonk

(6,187 posts)
72. Our trick was collecting aerosols at the local dump, consolidating them...
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 09:33 PM
Apr 2013

...them in a single box and then commiting a minor act of "arson". One of us, Andy, ended up with a reverse mohawk. Didn't stop us doing it. Did learn to count better.

 

heaven05

(18,124 posts)
39. ???
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 04:58 PM
Apr 2013

amurikkkan justice at it's best. amurikans have become exceedingly stupid. How do I know? Bachman, king, cruz, snyder romshits 47% ect ect ect got the votes from .....

 

Jenoch

(7,720 posts)
40. I think an investigation needs to be
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:02 PM
Apr 2013

conducted to determine the student's intent with her 'experiment'. If she knew what the results were going to be from this experiment, then she should be punished, although I think maybe the school should handle it instead of the courts. If she was just a stupid teen who used poor judgement and didn't really know what she was doing, well then definately she should not be prosecuted by the courts.

 

kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)
41. WTF is wrong with this country??? When I was in 8th grade we studied
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:07 PM
Apr 2013

earth sciences, and the involved some basic chemistry. One kid in my class, who was sort of the class Imp From Hell (but who had a crush on me), was fooling around one day with a test tube and bunsen burner and the cork flew out of the tube and hit one of the ceiling fluorescent light fixtures, causing a rather nifty flash and bang.

He wasn't punished in any way that I knew of. The teacher had stepped out of the room for a second and didn't see what happened. We all laughed, everyone denied knowing what happened, and that was the end of it.

Same kid later in the year jumped up when exiting the same room and touched the clock above the door, knocking it off the wall, whereupon it fell to the floor and broke. I think he might have gotten a minor reprimand for that one.

That very same kid went to college, joined the Navy, went to medical school, became a career Navy physician, retired, and is now a highly respected cardiovascular surgeon in the Midwest, happily married, and a normal, productive citizen.

So this BS about this girl is just that: BS. Shame on those people.

 

AverageJoe90

(10,745 posts)
42. We are regressing to the bad old days of the '50s, folks.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:07 PM
Apr 2013

And this is just one more example.

I seriously hope that Ms. Wilmot doesn't end up actually being convicted of anything serious; she didn't actually harm anybody(except possibly herself), and she had NO malicious intent whatsoever.....damn, this sucks.

 

AverageJoe90

(10,745 posts)
74. Maybe in your locale.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 10:02 PM
Apr 2013

But I'm talking about the harsh punishments being meted out to this kid. At the very least, this is a "return" of sorts to at least a very mythologized version of the 1950s.

Jennicut

(25,415 posts)
93. We need to return to the 90's. I graduated in '94 and kids blew up
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 02:30 PM
Apr 2013

stuff when I was in high school and no one cared, at all. I remember a boy mixing all kinds of stuff in chemistry class. My daughters are elementary school age now and this zero tolerance crap scares me. I think people meant well in reaction to bad behavior but it just goes too far now.

NightWatcher

(39,343 posts)
47. Was this actually during a science class or did she make a bottle bomb and set it off in the hall?
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:20 PM
Apr 2013

Is it an "experiment" if you knowingly mix chemicals together that will cause a bottle to pop?

tclambert

(11,080 posts)
63. Sounds like she did it on school property but outside the building.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 06:19 PM
Apr 2013

If she mixed muriatic acid and aluminum foil as some of us suspect, she would have been OK if she hadn't put the cap on the bottle. The reaction produces hydrogen gas and heat. If she left the top off, the hydrogen and much of the heat would have escaped . . . harmlessly. Putting the cap on trapped the hydrogen and allowed the heat and pressure to build up. Result: unexpected POP! strong enough to blow the cap off the bottle.

 

BlueStreak

(8,377 posts)
53. This meets the FBI definition of a WMD, I believe
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:30 PM
Apr 2013

No joke, I think it really does. Here's their definition:


Any explosive or incendiary device, as defined in Title 18 USC, Section 921: bomb, grenade, rocket, missile, mine, or other device with a charge of more than four ounces;
Any weapon designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors;
Any weapon involving a disease organism; or
Any weapon designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life.


#1 This was an explosive device and I bet its charge was more than 4 oz.

#2 Not clear she had any intent. If she did, it was a WMD.

#3, #4 Did not involve a disease organism or radiation, I presume.

But on the basis of #1, they could call this a WMD.

SwissTony

(2,560 posts)
89. Where exactly does "MASS" fit into this definition?
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 12:05 PM
Apr 2013

Sure, this kid could have done herself an injury, but it was hardly going to devastate an entire suburb.

I'm not criticising you, but the definition seems ridiculous.

 

BlueStreak

(8,377 posts)
90. Just as ridiculous as claiming that a pressure cooker
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 12:21 PM
Apr 2013

with some gun powder is a WMD. It was a terrible thing that caused pain, suffering, sadness, and even several deaths. But it wasn't a WMD.

The FBI intentionally developed this vague definition so that they could apply it whenever it suited their needs. Welcome to the Patriot Act nation.

Warpy

(110,913 posts)
54. What a load of CRAP
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:34 PM
Apr 2013

We've got too many cops in too many of the wrong places who are too bored with absolutely nothing to do.

Either we give those bozos some busywork or we have to continue reading bogus stories like this one.

I can't see any jury convicting this kid. I sure as hell wouldn't vote to convict her. She was just caught in the act of being a kid.

tclambert

(11,080 posts)
57. She might have tried this one from Youtube:
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:42 PM
Apr 2013

Muriatic acid (aka hydrochloric acid) plus aluminum:



Go to 2:16 for the bang.

PS. Girls, where were your safety goggles?

PPS. Do not put HCl into an old soda can:

TNNurse

(6,911 posts)
58. I knew science was going to become illegal.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:44 PM
Apr 2013

Our country is full of idiots. There was no damage, no one was hurt......

The Wizard

(12,482 posts)
60. What happens if
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 05:50 PM
Apr 2013

someone accidentally over inflates a balloon and it pops, Jail?
Florida, the state that put George Bush in the White House which was the impetus for this website.

xocet

(3,870 posts)
62. WTSP Video Report on the Situation...
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 06:05 PM
Apr 2013

The local news video is here:

Teen girl arrested for "science project gone bad"
Melanie Michael
8:20 PM, Apr 23, 2013


BARTOW, Florida - No one ever expected to see a mug shot from 16-year-old Kiera Wilmot.

The teenager is known among staff for her exemplary record at Bartow High School and her status as a good student.

"She is a good kid," said principal Ron Pritchard. "She has never been in trouble before. Ever."

All of that changed on Monday morning.

...

http://www.wtsp.com/news/reporter/article/312878/79/Teen-girl-arrested-for-science-project-gone-bad


Bartow, FL, Police Chief: http://www.cityofbartow.net/index.aspx?page=392
Complaint Form: http://www.cityofbartow.net/index.aspx?recordid=103&page=18

TreasonousBastard

(43,049 posts)
117. Didja notice on the same page was a story about some guy raping and brutalizing horses...
Wed May 1, 2013, 11:29 AM
May 2013

and killing the dog the woman got to help protect them?

Cops basically said "tough shit-- you gotta catch him in the act"

So she got a surveillance system and caught him on video, and the answer seems to be-- "OK, find out who he is"

But, hey, jailing a cute teenager for being curious isn't nearly as much work.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/289853/19/Video-captures-man-brutalizing-having-sex-with-horse

derby378

(30,252 posts)
67. Yaaaay!! Fuck science in the ear!!
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 07:29 PM
Apr 2013

Zero Tolerance is your god now. Bow down, fucker...

Man, am I pissed off after reading that OP. Seriously, that poor girl. Then again, this is teabagger country...

Bucky

(53,795 posts)
75. Lock this punk away for 20 years, I say. It only starts with small science experiments....
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 10:08 PM
Apr 2013

before you know it, she'll be formulating theses, testing hypotheses, isolating control groups... where does the madness end?!?

Newest Reality

(12,712 posts)
76. We clearly have a
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 10:22 PM
Apr 2013

a problem when young people are fast-tracked into the system for innocuous behaviors and accidents. Children and teens are supposed to learn from their mistakes. They are not supposed to be subject to arrest and prosecution when it clearly isn't necessary.

Are the schools in Florida saying they are totally incompetent or is everyone merely complicit with the impetus of a for-profit prison system that is growing by leaps and bounds?

We have a host of issues to push back and face as the authoritarians and their minions continue to influence and degrade our justice system and economy, but this one is extremely important in the sense that it is creating ominous social problems for us down the road.

Plus, none of us, no matter how safe and secure we may feel or how we imagine that the system is working for us, is immune. Well, one exception is if we are wealthy enough to utilize private schools and also afford good legal counsel for our children if they do get into a legal hassle.

CincyDem

(6,283 posts)
77. Let's be honest here - she was arrested for...
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 10:31 PM
Apr 2013

...committing science in Florida. We'll know that first comes science, then comes evolution, and then - well - next thing ya know she's goin' be saying that nice young couple with a beard can't really be riding that dinosaur. All hell will break lose down there then.

On a more serious note - what is with the hyperbole. " ...science experiment gone horribly wrong..."

Horribly? Really - is that the word you want to use here.

Horrible is when you stand at the tropical fish tank in the bio-lab looking at all the bright color fish and you ask "what would happen if I throw this half pound chunk of pure sodium in there?". Hint - you'll want to step back quickly from the tank and see if the cafeteria has any tartar sauce to go with the fish sticks you're about to make. That's horrible.

This sounds like a simply little unexpected "exotherm". Seriously, starting with only 8oz of water, how can it be much more.

Get this girl back in the classroom. WTF is wrong with these people.

Turbineguy

(37,212 posts)
78. 16 years old? Death penalty for sure.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 10:54 PM
Apr 2013

It's Florida. Too bad the students without an imagination or curiosity forgot to bring their guns.

csziggy

(34,120 posts)
79. At that same high school in the 60s a classmate of mine made poison gases
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 11:02 PM
Apr 2013

On two different occasions and caused the evacuation of the high school. Once it was a chlorine based gas, the second time it was iodine based.

No one was hurt, no one was charged with a crime. The young man (aka "class clown&quot was banned from chem lab and had to get his grade in the class solely from written exams.

LiberalFighter

(50,504 posts)
80. There are too many "law enforcement" that are old dish rags.
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 11:02 PM
Apr 2013

They should mind their efn business about things they don't know anything about.

Th1onein

(8,514 posts)
81. PSSST! DO something!
Mon Apr 29, 2013, 11:06 PM
Apr 2013

Here's the school's number: (863) 534-7400. Ronald Pritchard is the principal. Here's his email: ronald.pritchard@polk-fl.net

Dr. John Stewart is the Superintendent of the Polk County School District, which Bartow High School is a part of, and that number is: 863-534-0500.

CALL THEM.

Arkana

(24,347 posts)
115. The superintendent is a Green Lantern?
Wed May 1, 2013, 10:40 AM
May 2013

He should take this case to the Guardians of Oa then. Intergalactic law supercedes state law!

Th1onein

(8,514 posts)
120. VERY PRODUCTIVE!
Wed May 1, 2013, 12:47 PM
May 2013

First of all, I don't know what you're talking about.

Second, I don't know what you're talking about.

Third, you should be up in arms about this and actually DO something about it, even if it's only making a few phone calls. It's obvious you're doing SOMETHING, but how useful it is.....Why BOTHER?

muriel_volestrangler

(101,154 posts)
82. "will be forced to complete her diploma through an explosion program"
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 09:31 AM
Apr 2013

Who knew there were special programs for pupils involved in explosions?

Captain Stern

(2,197 posts)
84. It doesn't sound like she's entirely innocent.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 09:54 AM
Apr 2013

But it does sound like what she did shouldn't warrant any more than a little after-school detention.

Zero-tolerance policies pretty much cut the legs out from under any adults that would actually look at things on a case-by-case basis. I'm guessing if the Principal or teachers had applied their own personal discretion, they would have put their jobs at risk for not following "policy", regardless of how reasonable their actions were.

mwooldri

(10,291 posts)
95. Hair on Fire brigade of Left Wing : something smells odd.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 02:54 PM
Apr 2013

Your comment just pushed the memory I have of setting my own hair on fire by leaning over a Bunsen burner in science class (it was chemistry that term).

But the OP - the way it is being handled is way over the top. It seems the muggles have something to fear from our future wizards...

I hope this whole nonsense is cleaned up and all charges dismissed. And hopefully some bright university will offer her a chemistry scholarship. And blow more things up - in a controlled environment of course.

Javaman

(62,442 posts)
96. Dang, I hope you didn't burn yourself too badly.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 03:04 PM
Apr 2013

I had seen other things flame up in chemistry but never hair.

mwooldri

(10,291 posts)
97. Was OK thanks. Hair turned from blonde to silver, smelled bad for a bit.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 03:06 PM
Apr 2013

Mind this was back in 1990, and yes the teachers were blowing stuff up too.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
94. a waste of resources prosecuting a straight A student who made a bad decision
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 02:54 PM
Apr 2013

totally overkill. no one was hurt, and it is not clear that she intended to hurt anyone. she deserves a reprimand, not to have her entire life destroyed. america: where we take regular people and turn them into fodder for our for-profit prison system!

levp

(188 posts)
98. Someone mentioned "after recent events"...
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 03:12 PM
Apr 2013

As I posted in Facebook comments on that TV station's page:

I was born in the Soviet Union, and my parents were teaching me all the time not to say (or do) anything that could be even remotely misconstrued.

But even then, I happened to do EXACTLY the same thing - mixed some chemicals together in our school's chemistry lab. There was a significant bang and a lot of white powder on and around my desk. The only punishment was F in chemistry (admittedly, well deserved).

Again, that was in Soviet Union. We ought to be better than that, not worse. What are we going to do after the next shooting or attack? Because you know it and I know it - it is not a question of "if", it is a question of "when".

We also used to play WWII games, shooting Nazis left and right. During a school recess at that! These days, kindergarten students are arrested for making a gun sign with their fingers. What's next?

 

Mr. X

(72 posts)
99. It gets worse.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 04:17 PM
Apr 2013

Can't remember what came of it, but I heard about a kid (was in kindergarten I think.) who got suspended... Because he took a bite out of a poptart, thus making it look sorta like a gun.

Anyway, in my chem class our teacher actually let us make explosives to demonstrate to everyone else in the class. He gave us a week and said come up with somethink explosive to demonstrate. Only condition that we had to tell him what we planned to demonstrate, just to make sure we didn't accidentally come up with something that would make a really really big boom.

I ended up making a variant of Thermite - Ended up adding stuff to it to make it like a flash-bang.

Whats ironic is that it's pretty fucking easy to make explosives. Anyone with even basic chemistry knowledge can build one.

 

Codeine

(25,586 posts)
107. Don't even really need chemistry knowledge.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 08:55 PM
Apr 2013

My dumbass friends and I made pipe bombs from PVC pipes and caps and small film canister ('member those?!) explosives out of black powder and cheap fuses in junior high. Used to set them off in an old quarry just to hear the boom and see shit fly. Kids are stupid.

The Wizard

(12,482 posts)
103. It starts with a small explosion
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 08:33 PM
Apr 2013

Next thing you know the smoking gun is a mushroom cloud. Hey, it worked for the Bush cartel.

 

davidn3600

(6,342 posts)
105. I've said it before...our justice system is becoming a joke
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 08:43 PM
Apr 2013

It's too mechanical. There is no common sense. And we've passed way too many zero tolerance and 3-strike laws. Our prisons are filling up. We got the largest prison population in the world. And everyone keeps saying that the sentences are still not long enough.

And it's not solving a damn thing. We got more gangsters coming out of prison than going in.

DainBramaged

(39,191 posts)
109. This country has gone to shit
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 09:09 PM
Apr 2013

fucking school authorities losing their minds and forgetting what common sense means.

Alcibiades

(5,061 posts)
114. Of course, if she had given a gun to a five year old
Wed May 1, 2013, 10:26 AM
May 2013

and that five year old actually killed someone, for example, his two year old sister, there would be no charges.

hack89

(39,171 posts)
116. She bought the chemicals from home - and did not do her "experiment" in a classroom.
Wed May 1, 2013, 10:48 AM
May 2013

what was she thinking?

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Florida Teen Girl Charged...