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According to Police Chief Tom Moss, the suspect was suspended from GMHS that day with suggested long-term expulsion.
“The suspect is 14, so clearly the case would be processed through juvenile court. You have to get a petition against the juvenile,” Moss said.
According to Moss, the officer on the scene that day was GMHS School Resource Officer Derrick McCarter, who filed the paperwork for a petition the same day of the incident. But according to the mother, no information was sent to her regarding a court date.

“The police said it [the case] would be turned over to the DA, and I would receive a letter about a court date, but I never received a date,” she said.
According to Holton, the school’s limited jurisdiction is an issue that hinders his ability to keep students away from the hill.

“Before and after school are the biggest problems for us,” he said. Holton said an assistant principal stands on the hill in the mornings and students have been told they cannot park there. “We do have jurisdiction during the school day to pick them up,” Holton said.

But when the school day is officially over, Holton can no longer keep students away from the hill.

“At a certain point I can’t pay someone to stand there after the school day...Loitering doesn’t happen during school hours, it happens well after school [is out],” Holton said. Juniors and seniors are allowed to leave campus for lunch, but according to Holton, supervision on the hill is provided during that time.

According to Moss, some of the students have become a problem for the businesses by walking out without paying for food or by noisily lingering outside storefronts. Holton said he is contacted after school hours about the disturbances.

“I get calls at 5 and 6 at night that there are students there causing problems and hanging out,” he said.

These incidents have caused school officials, members of the police department, members of the Board of Aldermen, business owners and a representative of Regency Centers, LP, the property management company for the complex, to hold meetings to find a solution.

“Businesses are reluctant to put up the signs that would allow police to have jurisdiction,” Holton said.

According to Mayor Ronnie Williams, it is going to take everyone to resolve the issue. Williams agreed to ask the police department to increase their presence in the area for the first two weeks of the school year. According to Williams, this solved the issue at the time, but the police did not continue their presence because of manpower and availability.
“Garner police can’t stay stationary. Every officer has a beat,” Mayor Williams said.

This fact led others to think of a different option.

“At the second meeting the management firm showed up and suggested hiring private security,” Williams said. The cost would be included in the tenants’ rent, but according to Williams, the tenants do not want the rent raised. Hiring Garner police would also warrant an increase in funds.
“It’s an expensive proposition to pay officers overtime to stay over there,” Moss said.

According to Holton, a better barrier is needed.

“A brick wall would be wonderful. It would stop 99 percent of this,” he said. Holton said it is hard to get restaurant owners to attend the meetings because they do not want a barrier to be built. “The kids can eat at their establishments,” he said.

In the meantime, concerned residents want action. “If the shopping center would step up and make somebody patrol around there, it would stop right away,” the mother said. >>more