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Student in EPHS Vandalism Case Speaks

Jacob Zimmerman, one of the 24 teens arrested in connection with the vandalism of East Paulding High, spoke to Atlanta media about his role in the “senior prank” he says went too far.

senior class president, and potential valedictorian may not get to return to a regular classroom before the end of his high school career.

Jacob Zimmerman following . He told Fox 5 Atlanta that he has been suspended for the remainder of the school year for his role in the incident, though claims he was only involved in spray-painting the intersection in front of the school—an action he says many other students have done in past years.

saw school buildings spray-painted to include windows; some perpetrators also made it onto the school’s roof, which was also painted. Some of the paintings across the campus, in addition to “Senior” and “2012,” also included the text “YOLO” and “Musgrove is a [expletive]”—the latter message seemingly targeting Assistant Principal Greg Musgrove.

Two vehicles also were spray-painted, as were the guardhouse, fences, signs, a scoreboard and the school’s pirate ship. Vandals also threw chairs, tables and benches into the school’s parking lot, a incident report said.

“If I knew that doing a senior prank would result in all of this, I would’ve never gone,” Zimmerman told Fox 5.

In all, school district officials said clean-up of the damage to East Paulding High .

Though Zimmerman told the Atlanta TV station that he is spending his last remaining weeks of his senior year in alternative school, no official word on his peers’ punishments have been released by school district officials, who said that how many students were punished, what punishments they received or whether students’ punishments differed.

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L.long March 30, 2012 at 10:43 am
I agree in punishment because it was a prank that went to far but I think the punishment should fit the crime. This was not a bad group of kids and just as their prank went to far the punishment has gone to far. The media played a big role in the outcome. Unfortunatly for these kids it was a slow media week. The school and the media should be more concerned about the drug problem at East Paulding. Where was the media the week before this happened with the drug bust at the school? Why aren't those kids mugshots being show on TV? I would much rather my child be caught hanging around with the kids that spray painted the school than the kids that offer him drugs on a daily basis. I think the media and the school should focus on the more important issues.
Peggy Hall March 30, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Sometimes kids do get caught up in things that they are not planning to go so far. I think this young man should pay for his part in this, but stripping him of his future should not be the punishment. He has gone for twelve years to school, and earned his place. I don't think one "senior prank" should take away his opportunity to be a contributer to our society. Make him clean it up. Put him on probation. Make him clean bathrooms at school.
Do anything but wreck his future.
L Hansen April 2, 2012 at 09:24 pm
imagine if any of these children were carrying skittles and tea and wearing a hoodie? wait Im thinking none of them were "suspicious" as the young innocent murdered child in Fla who was killed for walking in his neighborhood while being suspiciously non white.
Peggy Hall April 2, 2012 at 10:41 pm
If Zimmerman shot the child without provocation (which I personally think happened at this point), then he needs to get the maximum punishment. That is a MUCH more serious crime than the one we are talking about. That law basically says you can shoot anyone and claim self defense. We are talking about spraying the street with paint???? Let him clean it up, pay a fine, do community service and continue his education.
L Hansen April 3, 2012 at 02:49 am
I agree save the arrests for real crimes and make the arrest for real crimes.
CaseyS April 11, 2012 at 08:32 pm
Prank or no prank... a felony is a felony. There are consequences for dumb decisions. Senior class President and potential valedictorian should set a better example. Bone head.
Jeff S. April 11, 2012 at 09:51 pm
So I guess if they do $7,500 damage to your house that is okay also right? This is tax payer money and could have been put to better use... let them work it off and take a lesser sentence! How is that for fair.
Peggy Hall April 12, 2012 at 12:21 am
I would guess that we have all made mistakes, and some worse than others. The boy can save the tax payers money by cleaning it up himself. It is NOT o.k. to spray paint ANYWHERE, but he didn't kill anyone. He made a huge mistake in judgement, and I just wish he could pay in a way that would allow him to continue his education.
Rick April 23, 2012 at 12:50 am
It's really quite silly to impose this kind of fine. Let them do their court-imposed service, then go Zimmerman appealed and a sanctimonious redneck school board imposed an extra punishment, his inability to walk at graduation, which apparently was not added to any of the other defendants. We're Baptists here and our sense of forgiveness only goes so far. We're into collective punishment because the federal government made us give up slavery. Seriously, if people were that smart, would they be on school boards in the first place, exposing themselves to criticism from curmudgeons like me?
Dick Jones April 23, 2012 at 01:31 pm
Everyone who is sticking up for these felons should let them take a whack at doing $7,500 in damage to your property and then let us sit around, call you names and say that YOU overreacted.... They are criminals. They did the crime. They put themselves in this position. The school board didn't do eight grand in damage. why bash on them? These kids should be in JAIL and they are whining about not walking graduation. I say lock them up for the felonies that they committed and they will be in prison for graduation time. If I did the exact same crime, I would be in prison,. The snot nosed brats got off easy.
Jeff W April 23, 2012 at 03:24 pm
Looks like a couple of the people adding comments here need to re-read John 8:7.
I would be willing to bet that ALL of us have committed "crimes" just as bad or worse that these kids; we just didn't get caught. How many of us haven't driven above the speed limit, ran a red light, or maybe even cheated a little on taxes? These kid's actions only ended up harming themselves. I think their punishment is more than adequate, and won't leave them branded with a criminal record for one dumb decision that only harmed some property, and it can be fixed. Some of us need to look in the mirror before we condemn a bunch of high schoolers for a prank.
Dick Jones April 23, 2012 at 05:11 pm
Maybe the little criminal brats should be reading your precious scriptures. If anyone else pulled this caper, they would be in jail. When anyone commits a crime, they risk losing some privileges in their future. What ever happened to accountability? The simple fact is that if these creeps didn't destroy their local school and other private property, they wouldn't have any problems. They harmed others. Most of us aren't going to believe the outright lie that they only harmed themselves.
Jeff W April 23, 2012 at 05:59 pm
No, they are paying to repair the damages, and each doing 400 hours of community service. That's a lot of free work for the community this summer. So I would say the final tally worked out to be best for the community. And also the kids - they learned a valuable lesson.
How bout you Mr Jones - have you settled up for all your misdeeds in life? Turned yourself in and paid a fine each time you found yourself speeding (and risking the lives of innocent people)? Ever driven after drinking a beer when young and foolish? Did you go down to the DA and asked to be charged for DUI? So, Mr Dick Jones has NEVER committed a crime that he didn't seek punishment for? I doubt it. I'm glad our DA is focusing on using our expensive justice system to punish real criminals, and not to brand a bunch of foolish school kids as criminals for life.
Dick Jones April 23, 2012 at 06:08 pm
Jeff, I don't drink and drive or cheat on my taxes. Thanks for the inference. Not letting some felons go to prom or graduation ceremony isn't branding them for life. Most felons ARE branded for life and these ones deserve every bit of heat that they are getting. Convicted felons aren't allowed to vote or to own guns. These particular felons got off easy. You making up crimes that you seem to think that I have done to take the heat off of real felons while quoting scripture in prior messages is ridiculous.
L Hansen April 23, 2012 at 06:33 pm
If you as an adult dont like the sentence, then stop whining and make a change. Make the children aware of what will happen or go to your law makers and get the punishment for this crime changed. Its a tough cruel world behind the white pickett fence when the rules and laws apply to everyone instead of just a select few. There was a law broken, an arrest, and a punishment. The punishment was based on law. welcome to the real world and the world in which most minority civilians live.
L Hansen April 23, 2012 at 06:45 pm
I find it interesting when someone stands up for the law,albeit in a somewhat angry tone, they become the one attacked. Mr. Jones lawfulness is not the question. If you think the punishment does not fit the crime then attack or be active in changing the punishment set in the law, dont base your objections on who did the crime. I hope you hear what I am saying because the rules and punishments were set in the belief that only the "BAD" kids would do something like this so lets make sure we keep those "BAD" people away from our wonderful lawful and upstanding community. Guess what. The law was applied without a racial or economic exception to the rule. If this happened in our judicial system today you would see a big change in the racial make up of our prisons. So yes . go ahead and be upset for these kids but be upset for ALL of the kids previously condemned in this same manner , under this same law , for this same crime. Find a way to change the punishment for all children who do this, not just these select few.
L Hansen April 23, 2012 at 07:02 pm
I hear you Jeff. Please dont misinterpret what I am saying, Make the punishment fit the crime and hold all of those who break the law to the same degree of accountability. If the punishment is out of line with the crime then change the punishment in the law, stop making exceptions for a few select cases. If you commit the crime then you get the punishment that is spelled out in the law, period. This would make law makers think twice before making punishments that dont suit the crime because they would know that their families would also be held to the same punishment that others are held.
ANA LEON April 24, 2012 at 01:20 pm
May God bless each of you getting a little more of mercy in yours hearts, and wisdom in yours minds, in life you make mistakes, luckily this is one that can be repaired, leaving teaching to those involved, "young" "He who is without sin cast that first stone."
I wish these young people sweat a lot in their community hours, to feel the fatigue of work and to learn to be grateful in life and have a good future and become productive citizens.
Peggy Hall April 25, 2012 at 09:22 pm
Well said Ana Leon.

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KJL June 4, 2013 at 03:30 pm
I am torn on this decision. Even though homosexuality is a sin, it is no greater a sin than lyingRead More or cheating. If the troop had boys who were not Christian & they were committing those sins then that sin was being brought into the church. I think Christians need to remember that no one sin is greater than another. I think the parents of the boy scouts would have to determine if they wanted their child to participate in the troop if their was a homosexual in their group. However, the church hosted the Boy Scouts upon a certain charter. When that charter was changed then the church has the right to decide if they want to continue the association. I know of other churches that ended their hosting of Boy Scouts last year because the group was becoming too politically polarizing & they felt that conflicted with the ministry of the church. It is a fine line with views on both sides but I feel each church has to decide what is best for them...it is after all their facilities.
Debra June 5, 2013 at 02:04 am
-------No comment------
Andie June 5, 2013 at 06:35 pm
Do we not remember who Jesus surrounded himself with? Don't believe for one minute that there is notRead More one homosexual in your congregation, or for that matter an adulterer, a fornicator, a thief, a liar, the list goes on. And if you are a real stickler, any divorcee that has dated or remarried is committing sin every day. I do not believe in the gay lifestyle but I do believe in what good the boy scouts do. Shame on you for abandoning them when they need you the most