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Crime

‘Zero Tolerance’: Autistic Teen Arrested for Selling Sugar Packet at His High School

Feb. 13, 2013 5:56pm Billy Hallowell

Every once in a while there’s a story that leaves you scratching your head — and this promises to be one of them. A St. Mary’s, Ohio-based teenager who has a form of Autism was purportedly arrested after he attempted to sell a sugar mixture to students at his high school. Now, the boy’s parents are stepping forward to speak out against the disciplinary steps taken by both St. Mary’s Memorial High School officials and authorities, alike.

Rob and Heidi Pence believe that the actions taken against their 16-year-old son went too far. While the school has a zero-tolerance substance abuse policy, critics are dumbfounded over why the child was apprehended over what appears, on the surface, to be a minor offense. After all, the boy had poured sugar — not drugs — into a candy wrapper, something his father claims he then tried to sell as a “secret sugar rush concoction.”

“My son totally uprooted and slammed into jail over a sugar packet is completely unacceptable to me,” Rob explained.

The parent also explained that his son’s actions were meant to be a joke and that his Autism has created a barrier that prevents him from understanding the serious nature of his situation at hand.

“His maturity and emotional development is somewhere around the level of a 10 year old or 11,” Rob told WRGT-TV.

It should be noted that the teenager was taken into custody on a probation violation and that this isn’t the first time that police have been called to the school due to his actions. The sugar packets that were used have been sent to a lab for analysis.

The school’s zero tolerance policy reads, “In conjunction with the board policy, the St. Marys City Schools are a drug free zone and the Board of Education has zero tolerance for substance abuse or possession on school property. The school will cooperate fully with police investigation including but not limited to the use of canine patrol programs subject to the Board of Education policy.”

So far, there has been no comment from district officials — and there’s no telling whether other, currently unreported offenses were involved in the decision to detain the boy.

Autistic Teen Arrested for Selling Sugar Packet at His High School

Photo Credit: Domino Sugar/Sam’s Club

A Facebook page called “Free Michael Pence” (purportedly the teen in question) offers some more details (it appears as though the page is maintained by the teen’s mother, Heidi, who linked to it from her personal account):

I must make a correction about a material fact in this matter. It really doesn’t change much in the overall dynamics of the situation. The sugar packet in question did not originate at the school. It came from a restaurant – but was still the same white paper with blue lettering packet we are all familiar with.

The other item was part of a candy cane wrapper that had been filled with a mix of cane and powdered sugar that had been crushed together. I now learn that Michael has taken this mixture to school before to sweeten up the cafeteria brand of chocolate milk. Yeh, I know the stuff. It is a kinda bland flavor especially compared to what we make at home.

In consideration of this I retract my earlier remarks concerning school food staff being complicit as mid level distributors (that was a joke, boy).

The family is now considering sending the teen to a different school.

(H/T: Inquisitr)

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Comments (57)

JACKTHETOAD
Posted on February 14, 2013 at 1:25am
So, whatever happened to getting an after-school job for sending money? Oh, that rap/hip-hop culture…it’s a million laughs.

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- JACKTHETOAD
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 11:01am
  (spending money, that is.)
  
  Report this comment
RamonPreston
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 11:42pm
I have Zero-tolerance for this Zero-tolerance bullsh█t.This country has gone to hell in my lifetime. When I grew up we had some sanity and safety. Not anymore.

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- banjarmon
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 11:48pm
  Catch the sugar…. Miss the gunman!!!
  
  Report this comment
- Bullitt2008
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 11:29am
  Holy cow! I once traded an olive loaf sandwich for peanut butter and jelly one with my friend in elementary school. I also gave him a SUGAR COOKIE in order to close the deal. If that happened today, I would be banished from the public school system. Especially because I grew up in San Francisco.
  
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youshuthehellup
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 11:41pm
One more time – HOME SCHOOL – home school – home school!!! Unless of course all you good parents have time in your life to deal with stupid bull sh it like this!!! It’s not that hard parents and there are a zillion on line programs if you’re afraid to do it yourself!

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187rakkisan
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 10:50pm
Sorry to all about the typo’s–if ya can understand my gibberish–I only meant to say that this is totlally INSANE! who the hell does this to our kids over SUGAR?

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the_truth_or_not
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 10:46pm
Okay, I havent posted much lately, and for those of you new here, I dont defend stupidity. Now, it would appear that no one has gotten over the headline. He was selling “secret sugar rush concoction.” sounds like a good code for cocaine/crystal meth to me.

“The other item was part of a candy cane wrapper that had been filled with a mix of cane and powdered sugar that had been crushed together.” I dont know how many of you know what powder cocaine looks like, very similar to powder sugar (Cain sugar has a remarkable resembelence to crystal methamphetamine as well). If you dont know what either item looks like; internet search for images of both. (startpage.com sends your request to google using their IP address, and returns the results to you. They also do not record yours).

I too at first had the same thought as just about all the posts here when it was just sugar packets. then he had the second packet. This boy should have been detained and law enforcement called. Officers responding could test for coke with field tests. But tests out for meth are unreliable posting both false +’s and -’s. This needs to be done in a lab while the boy sits at ‘Juvie’ waiting for results.

If someone in my sons school was distributing this and law inforcement was not called, I would not like to be that school administration when I found out. I am just saying, he is selling something that looks like cocaine/crystal methamphetamine in a homemade wrapper, that has a suspicious

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- the_truth_or_not
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 10:54pm
  that has a suspicious name.
  
  Report this comment
- RabidPatriot
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 11:03pm
  It is actually a crime to sell inert substances, like sugar or soap powder, if they are being sold as a legitimate illegal substance. Street hoods try and rip off people all the time selling rock candy, soap, and salt as meth, heroin, or crack. They get the same jail time as if they were selling the real thing. Since this kid is on probation, his mental status has already been evaluated and he was deemed able to understand the crime or crimes that he was previously convicted for. Having autism does not mean this kid is incapable of understanding exactly what he is doing. It just gives his parents an excuse for having a criminal kid.
  
  Report this comment
- raydg
  Posted on February 14, 2013 at 1:58am
  You should have read the article more closely as the teen has the mental capacity of a 10/11 year old due to autism. He is a special needs and it sounds like this school or even the district do not know how to handle kids like these. You do not call the police on kids who do not know better, nor are capable of knowing better. My knowledge on this is personnel in a way as my five year old daughter is a Down child who is like a two year old. She also may have ADD as she is very hyper. These kids are not easy to work with and it takes the patience of Job.
  
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harald.reynols
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 10:41pm
Next thing you know people will be sent to jail for this. Idiots are taking over the world.

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The Big Mick
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 8:05pm
Just in case somebody has a different reaction than the dominant one here. I HAVE an Autistic Son, verbal, High Functioning, with a “form of autism” and I can tell you while he wouldn’t have done THIS, I CAN see a kid with autism DOING it. My son has come up with schemes to peddle various wares when he thought he needed money in a hurry. From one point of view this Autistic Kid is thinking along good capitalist “find a need fill a need” lines. He’s marketing the same thing as those “mix it yourself” energy drinks. From HIS intake on life he has no reason to equate what HE is doing with “selling drugs”. Americans with Disabilities Act meets “Zero Tolerance”. Stupidity and Bureaucracy won.

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- rpp
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 8:35pm
  I too have an autistic son. It sounds like he is not quite as well off as your son. I will add that “zero-tolerance” policies are by and enforced by people who are qualified to do only one thing with their life, be an organ donor.
  
  Report this comment
- RANGER1965
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 8:55pm
  Yes, but like Communism they sound so good on paper!
  
  To the unthinking drone it sounds like the iron fist of justice is finally doing somthing!! No bullies, no drugs, no guns, no violence.
  
  Report this comment
- 187rakkisan
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 10:39pm
  I wish I knew how to post onthi story originally–the kis is autitic–and it was suar!! they would getmore from a mt dew–what th hell?? this is something strange that ven I don’t undrstand–and yes–I know ther is a lot yet for me to learn..
  
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The Big Mick
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:58pm
Gonzo, DefCon, ProgSlayer 6:42-7:14
“Now that’s funny, I don’t care who you are!”
A much needed Belly Laugh on this Ash Wednesday, mates. THANKS!
rofl
mick

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Carlinpa
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:54pm
OMG! please… now catholic schools are going crazy?
We use to eat candy like that, it was tube basically filled with colored sugar.. it great!

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- bimzer
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 8:56pm
  St Mary’s is a town in Ohio… With a public school…. Not a catholic school…
  
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Alternative_Thought
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:42pm
Got your kids in public penitentiary system and you deserve what you get.

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RANGER1965
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:33pm
The author of the article claims that this story will leave you scratching your head. Wanting to take a few heads perhaps.

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mewnani
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:26pm
Yes, people, this autistic kid, this INNOVATOR in the world of sweets was arrested today for trying to sell his wares. Can we hit these people in the head with a brick PLEASE?!

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showmerancher
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:10pm
This is the part that frightens me most about allowing school personnel to carry firearms. Some, perhaps many that are like these, haven’t a lick of common sense and are demonstrably incapable of rational thought. Coupling that with possessing a firearm, especially around children, seems unwise at best.

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ChiRho4Life
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:03pm
So…if the kid had a packet full of weed, he’d have gotten a ticket with a fine…if he’d been carrying a gun with a concealed-carry permit, he’d never even been questioned by police…so, the solution is obvious….next time, he can mix the sugar with some weed, and get a concealed-carry permit for his Pez dispenser

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ola
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:58pm
فرصة ذهبية لمن يبحث عن عمل
4freekingdom.com/jobs/

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- M13
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:49pm
  Translation: Mohammed was a phedophile
  
  Report this comment
RJJinGadsden
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:57pm
Obviously I am definitely from a different time, and probably place as far as that goes. About the worst infractions that I saw in school was gum chewing and one young man was sent home to put on a belt. Teachers or staff simply told the gum chewers to spit it out. Where has the common sense gone today? As a former cop I just have to scratch my head and wonder just what law covers this, or do these cities just add all of the school board rules to their local ordinances? My chain of command would have had to applied a serious threat to force me to have brought this child in. And even then, I would have preferred accepting the consequences.

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- progressiveslayer
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:06pm
  Sadly it’s a sign of the times RJ,this country has allowed common sense to die only to be replaced with complete and utter idiocy. People with limited intelligence seem to think that by producing yet another unnecessary law we will somehow gain more freedom and liberty from government. Thousands and thousands of unnecessary and redundant laws are destroying and rotting our society from within,it’s disgusting we’ve allowed our populace to be dumbed down to the point where a kid can be arrested for selling a legal product.
  
  Report this comment
- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:54pm
  PROGRESSIVESLAYER, I think that it more like the Progressive Libs have simply murdered common sense.
  
  Report this comment
- 1stKENTUCKYREGULAR
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:55pm
  @RJJINGADSEN
  I too come from a time and place where free thinking people actually provided education, and were intrusted to make our children pillars of our community. The unfortunate reality is that lawyers(fully complicit with the US GOVERNMENT[dept. of ed.]) created a 1 size fits all system that effectivly denies individual thought,common sense, and logic for fear of litigation.
  The best thing any body could do right now is home school if possible.
  Bottom line ………. untill we remove the sharks from DC[ lawyers] we will be constantly divided as a nation. And saying all the while ”” It’s best for the children ””’
  
  Report this comment
- Taquoshi
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 8:53pm
  It is critically important for the liberals to criminalize as much behavior as possible, including, but not limited to: Tag, dodge ball, duck duck goose, chicken nugget guns, Miss Kitty bubble guns, imaginary grenades, candy bars, sugar, Tic Tacs, energy drinks, homemade lunches, and a variety of other items.
  Honestly, RJ, how else are they going to control the populace if we’re not all criminals?
  
  Report this comment
- 187rakkisan
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 10:44pm
  I agree Rjj–know ya don’t know me–but wth was wrong with just spitting the gum out?? no need to do this.
  
  Report this comment
Walkabout
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:55pm
As someone else said “Zero tolerance = zero intelligence”.

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RedeyeBlind
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:53pm
Wait they wanna make pot legal but bust this kid for sugar? we in it deep now peeps

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:09pm
  Not only that, the school is saying that they have a zero tolerance for substance abuse for a substance they provide in the cafeteria. Idiocracy comes to mind.
  
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Gonzo
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:42pm
Psst, over here…you lookin’ for sugar buddy?

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- DEFCON4
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:50pm
  What’cha got Gonzo, the white, dark-brown, or powdered ?
  C’mon man, I need some hydro-carbons, in a ‘bad’ way…..
  
  Report this comment
- progressiveslayer
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:00pm
  G you got any ‘equal’ that’s the preferred sweetener of BHO?
  
  Report this comment
- Gonzo
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:05pm
  Anything you want my man, step right up. You look like a serious playa,…how about some pure cane?
  
  Report this comment
- progressiveslayer
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 7:14pm
  Yo G you be da king pimp slingin grade A cane you da bomb G.
  
  Report this comment
DougHuffman
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:19pm
Zero tolerance is thoughtlessness for those incapable of thought, let alone critical thought. We’re DOOMED.

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BlackCrow
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:15pm
Now if he’d been selling condoms……oh silly me they give those away at school but they have outlawed sugar.

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Advection
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:10pm
Welcome to the liberal police state culture where EVERYONE is a criminal (shhh…except the lawyer elite class, Go’ bless ‘em).

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tonypro
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:10pm
Just imagine what they would have done to him if he were in nanny bloomers N.asty Y.ankee state.

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RogueRequest
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:09pm
This seems to stupid to be real.

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TSUNAMI_22
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:04pm
It’s a good thing the kid wasn’t selling commonsense. He’d have gone broke.

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- SocialistSlayer
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:12pm
  I have Zero Tolerance for Idiotic School Administrators and their Union Thug Teachers !
  
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- tonypro
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:12pm
  Did you miss the part that the kid was autistic?
  
  If common sense or ethics was of cash value, our entire guberment would be bankrupt.
  
  Oh wait—they are.
  
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- tonypro
  Posted on February 13, 2013 at 6:38pm
  @ SocialistSlayer
  
  Same here sir, that’s why I’m soooo glad my daughter, and her husband home school my grandson. I know now he will get a real education.
  
  Report this comment

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