The family of a 15-year-old Indiana boy who committed suicide after being arrested and expelled for a vaporizer containing marijuana has filed a lawsuit against the school district and sheriff’s office alleging the teen’s civil rights were violated.
Jase Emilys, a player on the school’s football team, took his own life three days after being arrested inside Charlestown High School on May 20 when police found a vaporizer containing marijuana liquid in his locker, according to WHAS 11.
In addition to the arrest, Jase’s family said he was expelled from school, banned from playing on his beloved soccer team in a “punishment that did not fit the crime.”
“It was hard for him to find out he wasn’t going to be able to play next year,” his mother Elyce said. “And we didn’t realize what that could do to him until he was gone.”
Jase Emilys committed suicide in May, three days after being arrested and expelled for a vaporizer containing marijuana in his locker. family brochure
Emilys’ family said the teen was devastated to learn he could no longer play high school football.
The family’s attorney, Gordon Ingle, claimed that the Clark County School District and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office had overstepped their authority when they searched the 15-year-old’s locker and questioned him.
“We don’t believe they had probable cause to search his locker,” Ingle told the local media. “They did a criminal investigation and talked to him, which is a violation of the law because before you can talk to a minor, you have to give him the opportunity to have a meaningful consultation with someone, in this case, a parent.
“This was simply police overreach if there ever was one,” he added.
The family claims Emilys’ constitutional rights were violated when police allegedly searched his locker without probable cause and questioned him without a parent present. family brochure
Jase Emily in an undated photo attending a high school football game. family brochure
Elyce said Jase was humiliated when he was handcuffed at school and taken to the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center.
She claimed she did not find out about the incident until he was already being transported to the reformatory.
Police said Jase was in possession of a vaporizer that tested positive for marijuana, and the brand type of pen contained a THC level of 83%, according to the arrest record.
The teen was arrested and handcuffed at Charlestown High School in Clark County, Indiana. WHAS11
The lawsuit filed on behalf of the Emilys ultimately accused the school district and sheriff’s office of wrongfully arresting and detaining the teen and violating his constitutional rights.
“There’s no acknowledgment there that what they did was wrong,” Elyce added.
“We just don’t want any other family to have to go through what we went through. “We want Jase to come back, but that will never happen.”
The district and sheriff’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The district prohibits all illegal drug use on campus, as well as the use of vaporizers and e-cigarettes, according to its student handbook.
If you are having suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free, confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn