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Title: Homeless Mother Who Sent Six-Year-Old Son To Better School In The Wrong Town Sent To Prison For Five Years
Source:
From The Trenches
URL Source: http://www.fromthetrenchesworldrepo ... o-prison-for-five-years/169638
Published: Sep 6, 2016
Author: Jeremiah Jones
Post Date: 2016-09-06 21:35:49 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 6453
Comments: 30
A homeless mother who pleaded guilty to fraudulently enrolling her six-year-old son in the wrong school district has been sentenced to five years in prison. According to Graham Smith with Daily Mail, Tonya McDowell sent her son to an elementary school in Norwalk, Connecticut, instead of her home city of Bridgeport. The 34-year-old, who was homeless when she was charged with felony larceny last year, said she wanted the best education possible for the boy. McDowell entered her plea at Norwalk Superior Court under the Alford Doctrine, which means she does not admit guilt but concedes she does not believe she will win the case. Even though she was homeless, authorities said that she used a babysitter’s address to enroll her son in kindergarten in Norwalk when he should have attended schools in Bridgeport, her last permanent address. Her case drew national attention and support from civil rights leaders and other advocates who wanted the charge dismissed. The 34-year-old, who was homeless when she was charged last year, said she wanted the best education possible for her son. McDowell told police she was living in a van and occasionally slept at a Norwalk shelter or a friend’s Bridgeport apartment when she enrolled her son Norwalk’s Brookside Elementary School. Police accused McDowell of stealing $15,686 worth of ‘free’ educational services from Norwalk. Smith also reports, “McDowell’s lawyer, Darnell Crosland, said she agreed to accept a plea bargain rather than continue fighting the charges even though she insists she is not guilty.” Mr Crosland said: ‘You shouldn’t be arrested for stealing a free education. It’s just wrong.’ Why is a homeless lady being treated this way? If she lives in a van and sometimes stays in Norwalk, then how can they accuse her of stealing a free education? This isn’t justice! This is taking away an opportunity for the son of a homeless woman and unjustly imprisoning someone who wants opportunities for her son. 
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#10. To: Deckard (#0)
Its a catch 22 for the tax payers. If they do not deter people like her then everyone in the crappy areas will be sending all their kids to better areas until the better areas are just like the crappy areas. Its the old adage. You can take the person out of the trailer park but you can not take the trailer park out of the person. BTW I do not blame her for wanting something better for her kids. I have seen some really smart good people come from really bad areas but it takes some really tough love by the parents because gangsta training is everywhere to destroy society. Example gangsta training in actions look at Colin Kaepernick who has had the best of everything and has been suckered into the gangsta world thinking!!
This was kindergarten. She was getting free day care where she wanted to sell her drugs and whore her whores, in a better neighborhood. She also allegedly told the undercover officer she was living with her aunt on Dover Street, and he was welcome to party at the house and enjoy the services of two women McDowell was pimping out.
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#15. To: Justified (#10)
Its a catch 22 for the tax payers. If they do not deter people like her then everyone in the crappy areas will be sending all their kids to better areas until the better areas are just like the crappy areas.
According to three Norwalk arrest warrants, McDowell, who claimed to be homeless while sending her son to school in Norwalk, sold drugs to officers in Norwalk on three occasions between May 27 and June 3.
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