I'm still unable to post as Troutbend from my favorite computer. It's more work to borrow Mr. Troutbend's laptop just to post on MyBloggers, so I hope you all find this post.

Did you see that story about the 7 year kid in Colorado who was suspended at school for allegedly throwing an imaginary grenade? He claimed (or rather it was his mother who claimed) he was throwing it at a box of evil to save the world. According to the local paper, the story went viral, with some people arguing that the school's no tolerance rules are inhibiting imagination.

The school district got tired of the mis-information, so they have finally told their side of the story.

The kid was throwing rocks at other children and adults. Real rocks, not imaginary. The school put him in 2 hour suspension, which sounds more like a time out, and called his mother.

His mother is the one who went to the media, and turns out she is less than credible. I like the way the TV news worded it: "she has inserted herself at the center of four news stories in the last six years,"

Here is a summary of her criminal history:

May 20, 2011. Watkins was arrested in Loveland on a charge of child abuse/negligently causing bodily injury. She pleaded no contest to child abuse/no injury. A no contest plea has the same legal effect as a guilty plea. She was sentenced to 24 months probation and 24 hours of community service.

Feb. 3, 2010. Watkins is arrested for allegedly setting fire to her home on Sept. 15, 2009. She's charged with felony arson, criminal mischief (property damage); identity theft, theft, 2 counts of misdemeanor child abuse and false reporting/fake crime. Watkins pleaded guilty to false reporting and the other charges are dismissed. She was sentenced to 153 days in jail.

Aug. 20, 2008. Watkins was arrested by Greeley police on an Arapahoe County case involving charges of theft, computer crime/theft, forgery, fraud and attempting to bribe a public servant. She pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and the other charges were dismissed. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail and eight years probation.

Jan. 18, 2004. Watkins was arrested in Larimer County on a felony forgery charge. She pleads guilty and is sentenced to 81 days in jail and three years intensive supervision probation.

June 12, 2001. Watkins was arrested in Larimer County on a felony arson charge. She pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of attempted arson and was sentenced to 10 days in jail, three years of intensive supervision probation and 120 hours of community service. She was later arrested twice for failing to comply with her probation conditions in 2004 and 2005.

Other arrest charges that were dismissed in plea bargains include fraud, identity theft, computer crime/theft and attempting to bribe a public servant.