CITIZEN JAILED FOR LYING ABOUT WHERE SHE LIVES

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05-18-2007, 09:29 AM
WhatMattersMost

CITIZEN JAILED FOR LYING ABOUT WHERE SHE LIVES

Jury Decides Today If Mom Gets Prison For Lying

POSTED: 5:06 pm EDT May 17, 2007
UPDATED: 6:04 am EDT May 18, 2007

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- A Cobb County jury will decide Friday if a mother of three should spend time in prison for lying about where her family lived.

Prosecutors said Jeanine Echols repeatedly lied just so she could place her children in Marietta city schools.

Echols told jurors Thursday she never meant to deceive the Marietta school district. She said she only placed her three kids in city schools because that’s where her family lived.

"We had family in place that could make sure they got to the bus, they were picked up so if I worked late I didn’t have to worry about my child," said Echols.

SURVEY: Should Mom Face Prison For Lying?

Echols said her three children excelled in school. In fact, she attended two awards ceremonies for two of her children days before deputies came knocking on her door.

"The very next day, May 18, I was arrested and I sat in jail for over 5 hours. I had never seen the inside of a jail," said Echols.

But in closing statements, prosecutors told jurors the case was simple. Prosecutors said Echols signed legal documents seven times saying her family lived at addresses in the city, when in fact, prosecutors said, they did not.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a lie is a lie, and our law says when you lie to the government you have commited a crime," said assistant district attorney Grady Moore.

But Echols defense attorney called the 16 felony charges overkill. They asked jurors to send a message that prosecutors have gone too far.

"She wanted her children to get a good quality education in a situation where they would not be latch-key children, where they would not have to come home alone, where would not have to have a babysitter, where they would not have to have daycare, where their family would be responsible and take care of them," said attorney Vic Reynolds.

If convicted, Echols could face significant jail time.
Copyright 2007 by WSBTV.com.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/13341382/detail.html

MILLIONS OF ILLEGALS ARE LIVING IN THIS COUNTRY LYING ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AND RECEIVING TAXPAYER BENEFITS AND YET THEY ARE PROPOSING AMNESTY. WHAT's WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? :oops:
05-18-2007, 09:32 AM
MW

The law is the law and those that beak it must be held accountable!
05-18-2007, 09:37 AM
WhatMattersMost

Quote:

Originally Posted by MW

The law is the law and those that beak it must be held accountable!

ITA that the law is the law but isn't this a little extreme? In light of the fact that our country is going down the drain and there are millions of people here illegally committing violent criminal acts yet our government wants to give them citizenship, I just find this more than over the top.
05-18-2007, 09:46 AM
TexasGal

Are we saying this mother was an illegal? Or just an American mom in a poor part of town, trying to get her kids into a better city school?

No she should NOT have lied and broken the law, but so far I don't see where this article is relevant to the ending statement:

Quote:

MILLIONS OF ILLEGALS ARE LIVING IN THIS COUNTRY LYING ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AND RECEIVING TAXPAYER BENEFITS AND YET THEY ARE PROPOSING AMNESTY. WHAT's WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

I'm very confused about this What Matters Most.

Thanks!!

TexasGal
05-18-2007, 10:03 AM
MW

WhatMattersMost wrote:

Quote:

ITA that the law is the law but isn't this a little extreme? In light of the fact that our country is going down the drain and there are millions of people here illegally committing violent criminal acts yet our government wants to give them citizenship, I just find this more than over the top.

I see it a little differently. It's ignoring the "rule of law" that got us to where we are on the illegal immigrant issue. How, in good conscience, can we ignore some laws and enforce others? The lady should suffer the consequences of her actions. She wanted to dance, now it's time to "pay the piper." I'm sorry, but my feelings on this are firm - break the law, suffer the consequences.
05-18-2007, 10:25 AM
BetsyRoss

In my area, many school districts have 'open enrollment' where, if all the resident children are accomodated, and if there is still room, parents can cross a district boundary and register their kids in a different district. The PPOE (state money per child to K-12 education) follows the child. If the school is a charter, about 80% of it follows the child.
05-18-2007, 10:28 AM
WhatMattersMost

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasGal

Are we saying this mother was an illegal? Or just an American mom in a poor part of town, trying to get her kids into a better city school?

No she should NOT have lied and broken the law, but so far I don't see where this article is relevant to the ending statement:

Quote:

MILLIONS OF ILLEGALS ARE LIVING IN THIS COUNTRY LYING ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AND RECEIVING TAXPAYER BENEFITS AND YET THEY ARE PROPOSING AMNESTY. WHAT's WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

I'm very confused about this What Matters Most.

Thanks!!

TexasGal

The woman who is standing trial is an African American. I guess my point is they have put her on trial for lying about where she lives in order to get her children into a better school district near family so that they would not have to be latchkey. While it is wrong that she lied, I just think prison would be a little harsh. It is a possibility that she will do a long jail term if she is found guilty. Yet illegal aliens who steal identities and ruin the lives of millions of citizens are given welfare, food stamps, rent subsidiies, in state tuition and I have seen videos of children who cross the MEXICAN BORDER DAILY TO ATTEND SCHOOL IN THE US AT OUR EXPENSE. Yet they are putting a US citizen on trial for trying to put her children in a better school.
05-18-2007, 11:59 AM
steelerbabe

Jail seems extreme :roll: They should figure out the cost per pupil in the school district and she should pay back whatever that amount is.
05-18-2007, 12:28 PM
LegalUSCitizen

Even though I don't condone what she did, that is pretty heart-breaking.

That's harsh! You've got to be careful about what you're doing in life. No matter how careful you are and no matter how much you might never intentionally break the law, you just have to pay attention. If there is a written law, do not underestimate it, and do not underestimate the consequences that might come from breaking it.

Taking laws lightly, it's a dangerous way to live. This seems like a small mistake, but a common mistake, and it seems as though her county's government is getting tired of it happening.

That's another thing. Could you be used to set a precedent on something?
We have to think about these things because it happens, and it could happen to any one of us if we are too careless.

You shouldn't be "paranoid of the law", but it's best to have a healthy respect for it and to err on the side of caution when we make a concious decision which involves the law.

I am so sorry for her, and I truly pray that she will find the strength to get through this. :?

I certainly HOPE that she does not go to prison for this!! But it sounds as though her county is not joking around with this law anymore.
05-18-2007, 01:17 PM
WhatMattersMost

Good advice legal. I hope her lawyer provides the same. I was merely pointing out how the letter of the law only applies to citizens and are rewritten for illegals. I have no personal stake in this.

Thanks@
05-18-2007, 01:38 PM
PinestrawGuys

Mother Not Guilty Of Lying In Cobb School Case

POSTED: 11:42 am EDT May 18, 2007
UPDATED: 12:08 pm EDT May 18, 2007

MARIETTA, Ga. -- A jury found a Cobb County mother not guilty of lying about where her family lived so her children could attend Marietta city schools.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/13346184/detail.html

If you read the story, she had family living in the school district who provided for the children. They rode the bus, morning and evening, and are excellent students. Regardless of where SHE lived, her children spent their time living IN THE DISTRICT. The home they live in pays city taxes for the schools.

They go after a working single mother with 16 felony counts while they release illegal aliens without ID on a whim?

On the link there's a poll that asks whether or not you agree with the verdict. 79% of us do.
05-18-2007, 02:03 PM
LegalUSCitizen

That's good news and a relief. I bet anyone who lives in Cobb County who is doing that is going to think real hard about whether or not they want to do it again next year. 8O

I bet all the parents in all the counties will re-evaluate their decision to do that.

I'm relieved to hear this, I'm sure we all are. :)
05-18-2007, 03:29 PM
Trouble

Illegals live by this act

Quote:

Originally Posted by LegalUSCitizen

That's good news and a relief. I bet anyone who lives in Cobb County who is doing that is going to think real hard about whether or not they want to do it again next year. 8O

I bet all the parents in all the counties will re-evaluate their decision to do that.

I'm relieved to hear this, I'm sure we all are. :)

Hi Legal,

The only ones that are always going to continue to cheat the system are illegals. From what I see in my Dallas neighborhoods, there are new strange children moving in all the time. It is just part of their way of life and living illegally in the U.S. They pretty much do what they want now.

There are new arrivals on my block every week. The neighbor who rented the house next door is hardly ever there anymore. All these other strange people and children live there. After a month or so, new ones show up. Regretfully the latest one living there has so many used cars on our street for sale, no one can park anymore. The city, county, state and federal could care less.

Ten to one odds if this case would have been an illegal you would have never heard of it. They probably would not even consider bring it to trial.
05-18-2007, 04:24 PM
WhatMattersMost

Quote:

If you read the story, she had family living in the school district who provided for the children. They rode the bus, morning and evening, and are excellent students. Regardless of where SHE lived, her children spent their time living IN THE DISTRICT. The home they live in pays city taxes for the schools.

They go after a working single mother with 16 felony counts while they release illegal aliens without ID on a whim?

Thanks for the update Pinestrawguys as well as reiterating the point that I was making. It's not like she has children crossing into Texas from Mexico attending US schools on a daily basis and then going home to Mexico when classes are dismissed. That is a crime being commited daily and I have yet to hear our govermment or any other prosecutor addressing, nor is anyone bothering to send Messyco a bill.

In any event I'm glad that this mother was set free. I thought the criminal trial was way over the top and a waste of time and taxpayer money.
05-18-2007, 05:51 PM
Mayday

Really they should be going after the illegals and other cheaters who abuse the school lunch program. So many of them lie on the forms to get free breakfast and lunch it's not even funny! If they are on the free school meal program they are also entitled to a lot of other freebies. But our government in its infinite wisdom says that they can only audit a very small percentage(I think it's 3%) of them. Usually the audit is done in the spring when the school year is almost over. If they are caught lying the only thing that happens is they can't get free meals for that year. :evil: