Posted on 08/27/2002 5:47:49 AM PDT by CholeraJoe
Augusta kids killed
By CAROLYNN BRIGHT, IR Staff Writer - 08/27/02
Swanson faces 2 counts of murder.
A 46-year-old Augusta mother allegedly shot and killed two of her four children as they slept in their beds at the family ranch about 15 miles southwest of Augusta early Monday.
Jeanette Swanson faces two counts of deliberate homicide in connection with the shootings and is being held in the Lewis and Clark County Jail without bond.
Swanson was placed on suicide watch at the jail Monday afternoon while the bodies of her children — a 10-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy — were brought to the State Crime Lab in Missoula, where an autopsy will be conducted, said Undersheriff Cheryl Liedle.
According to Liedle, emergency responders flocked to the Swanson Ranch just before 6 a.m. after Swanson called 911, reporting that she had shot her two children.
Swanson’s other two children — boys, ages 16 and 20 — were in the house at the time of the killing, but were unharmed in the incident.
Swanson’s husband, Gene, was sleeping in a camp trailer outside the residence when the shootings occurred, Liedle said.
According to reports, Swanson was waiting at the door of the residence when emergency crews arrived.
Her children were located in their beds inside — both were dead at the scene, Liedle said.
Liedle said a firearm believed to have been used in the shootings was recovered at the family home, but officials will await the results of the autopsies to determine whether it was, in fact, the murder weapon.
Court documents indicate that Swanson’s 20-year-old son reported to authorities that his mother had a .38 Smith and Wesson gun in her possession when she placed the 911 call, but Liedle would not confirm whether that was the same make of gun seized at the scene.
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Sam McCormack said Monday morning that a motive for the killings was sketchy.
However, he said that Swanson and her husband had argued last week about Swanson’s decision to enroll the two children in school in Augusta — Gene Swanson wanted his wife to continue to home school the kids on the ranch while she wanted them to attend public school.
The children attended their first classes at school in Augusta last week.
WHERE was i bashing homeschoolers, i repeatedly said that i thought it was the optimum situation for those that CAN! i thought we had all agreed that there are nutjob parents that SHOULD NOT, and when homeschool mama attempted to equate nutjob teachers with nutjob homeschooling parents, i only attempted to point out that there is hopefully a safety net that catches the wacko teachers and that there is no such safety net for homeschoolers. PERIOD. i didn't say that there were MANY nutjob homeschooling parents, but we can name at least 2 offhand, andrea yates and this woman, so while the extreme minority it DOES happen. Sheesh! again, i think that the chip on the homeschoolers shoulders gets in the way of reason on occasion.
You have stumbled upon the proverbial fork-in-the-road. Do parents have ultimate oversight or does government? If you give the feds oversight, when does oversight become interference. And should stupid people have as much right as people who are more intelligent? Who decides who is stupid, or unqualified?
I would rather let ALL parents have unabridged rights to homeschool their kids, even at the risk of situations like this happening, UNLESS the parent or parents have some history of criminal abuse.
You hit that nail on the head. For the record I also have no problem with homeschooling as long as the parent is capable.
Ahhh..but there are safety nets for homeschoolers. That's why I stated before that you should do your homework before making random judgements.
If the homeschooling parent is formally trained in educational techniques and certified by a regulatory agency, I have no problem either. When mothers with a GED insist on homeschooling their kids I get pretty worked up.
Well, of course, it happens. It happens more often among non-homeschoolers, too. But, is anyone here advocating a "safety net" to watch non-homeschooling parents? No. So, WHY would you advocate one for homeschoolers?
Certainly, there are "whackos" and "stupid people" in every group. But, if someone posted here that some working moms are whackos and stupid people and questioned who is watching them to make sure they're raising their children right, wouldn't you consider that to be a negative comment coming from someone who has a beef with working moms? I think you would.
Take a deep breath. I wasn't saying you were advocating anything, but merely stated that you had stumbled upon the crux of the issue....Who has oversight over children, parents or government? This will be the issue that all the politicians, intellectuals, bureaucrats, social activists, and their cousins will be debating. Nothing new here. They've debated this issue since the homeschool movement got off the ground in the 60's or 70's.
Back this assertion up with facts. How many children are killed by their teachers in public or private school? That's what we're really talking about.
Part of the problem around here is people missing humor that should slap them in the place.
One of my favorite biblical stories is where God tells Abram that Abe's gonna have a son. Abe chuckles to himself.
So God tells him he's got to name the boy, Isaac....meaning "laughter."
Sort of a light-hearted moment with God. Tells me a lot about what God would be like if we would just let Him.
Oh please. Just calm down, k?
Charter schools, private ISP's, support groups are some avenues of accountability for homeschoolers. I lead a group and every single family is deeply committed and successful in their homeschool lifestyle.
You seem to desire dragging homeschoolers through the mire, xs. There are wacko public school teachers, yes. Obviously their accountability methods don't work too well, eh?
You need to understand that there is accountability and support in the homeschool community. HSLDA is in your backyard so to speak. I would suggest you take time to do a search on their website for accurate homeschool information..rather than ignorant judgement.
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