Berea 6th Grader Arrested for “People to Kill” List
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office is calling it a prank, but parents of Berea Middle School students aren’t so sure.
A 12-year-old student in the sixth grade at Berea Middle School was charged Thursday with disturbing the school after deputies say she compiled a “people to kill” list. The list contained the names of eight students, and was left on the floor outside the assistant principal’s office.
A sixth-grader was questioned and charged with disturbing school, however, officials said there was no indication the girl intended to carry out the plan. According to a press release from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the girl was not in possession of any type of weapon, and she told the deputy the note was just a prank.
Parents of the students on the list were notified by school officials.
Pamela Campbell says her husband got a call from the principal saying their grandson was on the list. She is her grandson’s guardian.
“That’s just not normal,” she said of the note. “You just don’t write stuff like that down.”
The girl was released into her parents custody. Her case will be heard in family court and she has been suspended from school with a possible expulsion pending.
Let’s hope this is a wake-up call for her family. This is a textbook cry for help. Whether or not she had a weapon is moot. Pranks involving “people to kill” lists are dangerous territory, and a clear sign that it’s time to get this kid the help she’s obviously reaching out for.
YouthBASE Director Bobby Caples is a Filthy Pervert!
image of Bobby Caples via Greenville HD
I worked in after school programs for a while before becoming a full time Web content developer and there was nothing that we watched for more than perverts. I worked in YMCAs and we had strict rules in place to prevent even the hint of impropriety, including not letting adults be alone with children or groups of children, not allowing children to be alone with even multiple adults etc. We did this because it was well known that perverts showed up to get access children. I once had to hire a summer camp staff and there were several people who showed up that I wouldn’t hire because they set off alarm bells. They were too interested in kids (when I started working with children I just wanted a job that left me time to do my graduate course work and told the person interviewing me just that – I was hired on the spot) or had reservations about being fingerprinted. When you’re entrusted with other people’s children you cannot be too careful.
So reports that YouthBASE director Bobby Caples was just pinched molesting two children he was asked to care for (hopefully by family members and not by YouthBASE clients) makes me think either Caples is the most patient pervert ever or the YouthBASE staff is not as aware of who they work with as they should be:
GREENVILLE, SC- Greenville Police investigators have arrested the director of a youth program and charged him with committing lewd acts on minors.
Police arrested Robert Francis Caples, 29, of 14 Atwood St., Apt. 1, in Greenville, and charged him with two counts of committing a lewd act upon children under the age of 16, criminal sexual misconduct of a minor under age 11 and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. According to a prepared statement from the Police Department, Caples may have sexually assaulted two children from June 2009-September 2009 while they traveled and resided with him.
The report states that at some point, the children went on a trip with Caples to Texas and when they returned, they told their grandmother that while they stayed with Caples at his home and on the trip, they slept in the same bed and bathed with Caples and did not want to do so. In a warrant obtained by the Greenville Police Department, Caples is also accused of inappropriately touching the children in private places.
The report says that Caples was asked to care for them by their mother.
The article goes on to point out that YouthBASE was a program for troubled children, who are a particularly vulnerable population. Many “troubled” youth have already experienced sexual abuse or exploitation and without proper support and therapy begin to internalize a sexualized identity and victim mentality that leads them into other abusive relationships. They come to expect and accept abuse and thus sexual predators seek out children like this.
So who was providing the therapy and guidance for the program? YouthBASE only lists one shrink on its website. Here’s Bobby Caples’ bio from the YouthBASE web page:
Bobby Caples, Ed.S., NCSP
Executive & Program DirectorBobby has 10 years of experience in after-school and community-based education programs. He has worked with several Boys & Girls Club organizations, the YMCA, The United Way of Greenville County, several Parks and Recreation Departments, faith-based organizations, schools, and other community-based organizations as a volunteer, employee, researcher, founder, director, and consultant. He has conducted research into the implementation of evidence-based behavioral strategies in community-based after-school programs. He holds a B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in African-American studies from the University of Virginia, as well as an M.A. and Ed.S. (Educational Specialist Degree) in School Psychology from the University of South Florida with interests in community-based education, reading intervention, and behavioral intervention. He is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, and is currently working on his dissertation for his Ph.D. in School Psychology. Bobby serves as the Executive & Program Director of YouthBASE, providing organizational leadership as well as program management, training, and consultation.
I’ll reiterate that YouthBASE lists no other therapists on their staff, thus kids needing counseling would be going to a man who is charged with molesting two children. As an aside, sociology degrees are like basket weaving degrees, throw in a “concentration” in African-American studies and what you have is someone who took the easy way through college. Not saying that is a sign of being a pervert, but it should make you question his ability to “implement evidence based behavioral strategies” whatever that means. What you have is a person who is not really interested in psychology finding an easy way to get a psychology credential. That’s a warning bell to me.
When you put your children into youth programs you must look at safety first. It is in vogue to look for places that are “creative” and “compassionate,” but the reality is you’re giving adults you don’t know access to children. Don’t be afraid to ask to observe the program before enrolling. Look to see if they have procedures in place to ensure children are not left alone with any one adult. You don’t know who you can trust, so you must be able to trust the program.
YouthBase hasn’t released a statement yet, and as of now Caples is being held on $40,000 bond.
Lockdown This Morning at Paris Elementary and Sevier Middle Schools
A man fled from Greenville County deputies this morning in the State Park Road area, prompting a precautionary lockdown of two nearby schools. Paris Elementary and Sevier Middle schools were under modified lockdown while deputies sought Charles Proffitt Jr, 28, who was wanted for shoplifting and possession of a stolen vehicle. GreenvilleOnline.com reports:
The incident began in the Half Mile Lake area shortly before 11 a.m. Deputies were searching in the State Park and Altamont roads area, Smith said.
“Just as a precaution we notified the schools because it looked like the K-9s were tracking in direction of where those schools are located,” he said.
Modified lockdown means people are still allowed to come and go but the doors are locked and access is closely controlled, Smith said.
An arrest was made shortly before 11:45 a.m. in a wooded area at Cone St. and State Park Road, according to News Channel 7. The suspect, who had been hit by a vehicle as he fled, was taken to Greenville Hospital System for treatment.
School lockdowns are a frequent occurrence in the Greenville area, costing the school districts time and money, and causing significant anxiety for parents, children, and school employees. Perhaps it’s time to amend the law to allow courts to hold criminals accountable for all the trouble they cause when evading authorities.
Reported Gunshot Prompts Lockdown of Fountain Inn Elementary School
A teacher at Fountain Inn Elementary School contacted police early this afternoon to report what sounded like the boom of a shotgun outside the school. Fountain Inn Elementary, Fountain Inn Christian School, and a nearby day care were all locked down for a short time, Fountain Inn Police Chief Keith Morton told the Greenville News.
Police received the call at about 1 p.m. and have been searching the wooded area behind the school building, Morton said.
“We had a teacher call and we talked to one neighbor behind the school who said they heard a loud boom and it sounded like a shotgun,” Morton said. “We’re just checking to make sure that nobody’s outside shooting. We haven’t found anything.”
Chief Morton said all children were accounted for. He suspected someone in the woods was shooting at a squirrel.
It was not immediately clear how the police chief arrived at that conclusion. Why does he believe the shooter was targeting a squirrel and not a fox, a rabbit, or a cheating husband? Inquiring minds want to know, but the Greenville News isn’t filling in the blanks.
The lockdown was lifted at about 2 p.m.
Breaking: Grove Elementary School and Tanglewood Middle School on Lockdown
Grove Elementary School and Tanglewood Middle School are both under a lockdown ordered by the Greenville County Sheriff’s office this afternoon.
The lockdown stems from an issue involving a parent who has children at both schools, GreenvilleOnline.com reports. No further information is available at this time.
Greenville Dragnet will bring you updates throughout the afternoon.
Update, 3:00 p.m.:
The school lockdown was ordered in response to threats a parent made to a Department of Social Services employee following a custody hearing in family court Friday morning, WYFF4 reports. The hearing resulted in a court decision to remove the children from their parent’s custody, and in light of the threats, Social Services followed protocol in requesting the assistance of law enforcement in taking the children into state custody.
The lockdown was lifted shortly after 1:30 p.m. and students were released as usual from both schools this afternoon.
Parents will be receive an announcement about the situation through the School Messenger phone notification system, according to Fox Carolina.