In Texas, Being an Honor Student is not Enough to Keep you out of Jail
By Steve Kinsman, 29th May 2012 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutNewsEducation
A judge throws the book at an honor student who was truant.
Meet Diane Tran
Diane Tran is a 17-year old junior at Willis High School in Willis, Texas, who is a very high achiever. She has attained honor roll status in every semester since she entered the school. Last year, her parents were divorced unexpectedly and both left town, abandoning Diane and her two siblings, including an older brother in college and a younger sister. Since then Diane has held down a full-time job as well as a part-time job, while also making the effort to go to school full-time. However, there are times when she is just too exhausted to make it to school, and she has missed several days this year while trying to make ends meet for herself and her family.
Meet the judge
However, a Justice of the Peace court judge, Lanny Moriarty, took no pity on her, despite her honor roll achievements, her two jobs, and her assumption of the role of head of her household. Saying he wanted to make an example of her, he told her he had warned her last month not to miss any more classes, exhaustion notwithstanding. Learning she had a missed a few more days, he arrested her in open court, sentenced her to 24 hours in jail and handed her a $100 dollar fine. Defending his actions, the judge told the press, "If you let one truant student run loose, what are you gonna do with the rest of 'em? Let them go too? A little stay in the jail for one night is not a death sentence."
I think if the judge were in my presence right now, I would say to him: Run loose? You think she is just running around loose? And that hundred dollars you fined her. She's trying to support three people and has to hold down two jobs to make ends meet. Where did your humanity go, judge?
Daine tells her story in the brief video below:
Link: Misbehave in a Texas Public School and You may end up in Jail
Diane Tran photo from crooksandliars.com
Judge Moriarty photo from mctx.org
Comments
30th May 2012 (#)
Poor girl! A day in jail and a fine of 100 dollars to add to her woes!! Justice at last!!!
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30th May 2012 (#)
Texas justice.
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30th May 2012 (#)
Title of the post was attractive and humorous. Thank you for the nice interesting post Steve.
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30th May 2012 (#)
Thank you MD. I appreciate that.
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30th May 2012 (#)
It is cruelty on the part of her parents too leaving them in the lurch. Tough logic from the judge. Thanks for the share, Steve - siva
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30th May 2012 (#)
It seems that more than a fair number of judges use pretty weird logic these days. Thanks for commenting Siva. I appreciate it.
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30th May 2012 (#)
This story is something you would expect to see in a Dickens story. And indeed sometimes it seems that we have returned to the inhumanity of the times Dickens depicted in his stories. It is heartless, cruel and pointless on the part of the judge to sentence this intelligent, hard-working and very brave young woman to jail. A great injustice.
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31st May 2012 (#)
Thank you for that perceptive and eminently sane comment. Would that the judge were as sane as you.
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1st Jun 2012 (#)
I agree Tricia...history repeating itself unfortunately...
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31st May 2012 (#)
I heard about that, crazy world in which we live. Great reporting.
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31st May 2012 (#)
Thank you Teila. I appreciate your comment.
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1st Jun 2012 (#)
Ir is so hard to fathom out the workings of those Texans...they seem caught in a mire of judgement and creating misery...(not all but so many of them) thank you Steve again for bringing this into the light of day...
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1st Jun 2012 (#)
I'm glad I don't live in Texas, aren't you? I'm sure, however, not everyone there is so insensitive as the judge in this case.
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