Meece and another juvenile made a false report that Gary Fenn, a former student, threatened them at the school on Nov. 6, 2009. During testimony during the trial, school officials and police said they could not find any evidence from school surveillance cameras that Fenn had any interaction with either girl.
The two girls testified they made false statements to school officials at the time, saying Fenn wanted Meece, a former girlfriend, to stop talking about his new girlfriend or he would “slit their throats.”
Meece said she lied to school officials because she wanted them to take her seriously. The girls said they concocted the story as they went to the office to find a principal.
When school officials could not find Fenn in the building, they ordered the lockdown of the school. Assistant Principal Scott Butler said it was the first time the school had been locked down because of a possible threat.
Both girls changed their story a few days later after being confronted by school officials after a review of the school’s surveillance video.
The girl who went with Meece to the principal’s office was adjudicated on reduced charges last month in Warren County Juvenile Court.
Defense lawyer Jeff Richards said Meece lied about when she received the threat, but was also afraid when she saw Fenn in the school. Richards argued that her actions were not what the Ohio legislature had in mind in making the charge a felony if it happened at a school.
The judge said the court found that the incident happened at a school and that there was a serious disruption of the school because of the lockdown.
Bronson said Meece will be sentenced in October after she delivers her child in late September.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4504 or erichter@coxohio.com.
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