Yeah, Right, Whatever

A local student met the working end of a taser yesterday.

A Westwood High School student was arrested Tuesday after being Tasered when he charged at the school's principal, Williamson County officials said.

Sherman Merritt, 18, got into an argument with his teacher about 10:45 a.m., said Detective John Foster, a sheriff's department spokesman. Foster said the teacher told Merritt to go to the principal's office, where the student got into an argument with the principal. Merritt then left campus. Deputy Deanna Lugo, the school's resource officer, and the principal went to look for Merritt, Foster said.

Foster said they found him near the intersection of Missel Thrush Drive and Millwright Parkway, where Foster said Merritt elbowed Lugo in the face. Foster said Merritt then charged at the principal and Lugo Tasered the student. Merritt was charged with assault on a police officer, a third-degree felony, Foster said.

Nice way to start adulthood, Sherman.

Of course, his father is upset. Evidently, assaulting a cop doesn't justify a jolt. In fact, according to DOD (Dear Old Dad), it's just his way. And I paraphrase... "He rants and raves and rages. It's just his way. He's not a criminal." (I can't find a link to the interview of the dad with this quote... I heard it on the radio this morning. Here's a link to a video with DOD saying that poor Junior is a "12 year old in an 18 year old's body.") When my boys were 12... or 10... maybe even 4... they knew that lashing out at a cop was a big NO NO. Then again, cussing out a teacher (which is how this whole Adventures in Neuromuscular Incapacitaion incident began) wouldn't have been on their radar, either.

This student young man kid punk is responsible for his actions. No doubt about that. That being said, he learned it somewhere. He didn't just decide to cuss out a teacher and bash a cop in the face yesterday morning. At some point, he came to understand that he could get what he wanted by lashing out (verbally or physically) at those in authority around him. I'm guessing here, but I'd put a dollar down that, when he was a little boy, he'd throw a tantrum and his parents gave in. Or one of his parents blew up to get their way, and he absorbed this information. Or he displayed abnormal anger responses, and the parents never taught him to deal with his anger without exploding. Or he showed psychiatric symptoms of some form, and no one thought to get him help. Or any of a number of possible scenarios. Yes, I know that, once in a while, parents do everything right and their child still ends up going bad- they are the exception, not the rule. Like I said, Junior here is responsible for his actions, but his parents are responsible for raising him to be a thug.

DOD says he's taking his son out of Westwood High School. uh... I don't think he has much of a choice... I doubt they'd let him back in... I'm sure he can get his GED in prison.