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.
LOL And you think this despite the fact the article clearly indicates the couple was at odds over the education of their children. Sounds like you are a bit quick to stereotype people.
No. Being a wacko was the factor.
As to your chicken comment, how dumb are 9 chickens?
you did write this, right, slick? saying the residents of a state are more likely to commit murder is dumber still. dumber than nine chickens....oh, this is known as an idiom...it is a way to make a point and is a common literary convention.
but you wont find much use of it in comic books and People magazine.
why you have a vendetta against a geographical region is really bizarre....go watch oprah and maury....
Have you noticed a majority of comments pointing out your idiocy? It is not a coincidence.
I live in Montana, 26 miles from where this happened. I see wackos every day. Look at all the wackos that are associated with Montana - the Unabomber, the Kiddie Cannibal, the Freemen, the Prince poisoner, the lesbian arsonists. Something about the wide open spaces and cold winters turns people weird up here.
I don't personally know that answer, but I can tell you my daughter was physically abused (ONCE) in front of myself, and 3 adult witnessed that the teacher did not know was down the hallway to both her and my daughter at the time.
There are SOME problem teachers, as I am sure there are SOME problem home school mothers. But I also realize this teacher is not representative of public school teachers, just like Yates and the like are NOT representative of home schooling mothers.
$49,700 is roughly 50K. $44,600 is NOT. Further, that is more than what my wife will make this year, with 13 years of experience and a Masters. I would bet that this number includes administration and not only teachers. Administrators work roughly 11 month years.
By Law, there are 180 School Days (give or take) per year.
First of all, that varies per state. Second, teachers are not on the 180 day schedule. They work in service, and have to attend other meetings (both district wide and local school) prior to school starting and even during school.
Most Schools do not return to School until After Labor day
Guess again. School starting times have been earlier since the late '80s. Some schools in North Texas started the first week of August. The state legislature is trying to back that up to August 21 or so, but that is still 2 weeks prior to labor day, which seems to be about the average starting time this year around North Texas. I don't think they've started after labor day since right after I was in school (mid-80s).
and are out of session all of July and August
My wife reported on something like August 14th, which was very late compared to the last few years. Recently, she has reported around August 9th. She got out about June 6. She also did one week in July of district mandated workshops, along with other elective workshops, where she will get credit for other in-service days.
that is Nine weeks, throw in about 10 days in June, and you are pushing 3 months....
My total of 11-12 weeks is accurate for my wife's and other surrounding districts. I can't speak to what goes on in Montana, but the 3 month summer is history. The only reason Texas is trying to push BACK starting times to late August is energy costs. Most parents want a fairly early start, and energy costs are not as big a factor in the north as they are in the southwest.
Regardless of what you Texans LIKE to think, it's not the Universe in its entirety
Since I'm the only one that has given specific, real world examples here, why don't you back up your assertions (which didn't exclude Texas) with some. Sorry, but until you do, the only facts stated here are the ones I wrote.
Hey man, whats wrong with guns and beer? hehehehe
Bigot alert on FR.
According to the newspaper, she did know her limitations: "Gene Swanson wanted his wife to continue to home school the kids on the ranch while she wanted them to attend public school.
OH for heaven's sake, he LIVES THERE, he knows better than you do what whackos are in MT!!!
That's just a start. My parents regret ever sending us to those camps, and never would do that again, but back then, they didn't have much support for keeping us home. Thank God, we were homeschooled when we got home from the indoctrination camps, so we were half-way educated. Their work was quadrupled, God bless them, as they had to de-program us, and fight the "teachers" every step of the way, not to mention deal with the constant fights, bad influences, and with the case of at least one brother of mine, availability of drugs, alcohol, and messed up, sexually active young girls.
I had a good family, and a few good teachers, and a lot of fun friends, and not all of my memories of school are bad, but my kids will never see the inside of a government indoctrination camp. What an asinine idea, anyway - government-run education of children! We were a much more literate, thinking, truth-loving, and even UNITED population before the curse of public education.
Some people send their children to public schools because they do not want to, or simply because know they cannot homeschool their children.(IE; job, patience, behavior difficulties etc) This doesn't mean they love them any less. But I'm sure you didn't mean to generalize all public school parents.
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