Georgia Middle school teacher arrested after allegedly threatening to behead 13-year-old Muslim student who said Israeli flag offended her

[essentialsaltes]

Benjamin Reese, a 51-year-old seventh grade teacher at Warner Robins Middle School, was arrested on charges of making terroristic threats and cruelty to children in the third degree, according to an incident report from the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, which lists more than 20 witnesses.

The incident report – written by a sheriff’s deputy who was on duty at the school when the incident occurred – cites several witnesses who said they heard Reese shouting profane threats at three female students in the seventh-grade hallway on December 7, including, “You [parentloving] piece of [poop]! I’ll kick your [butt]! I should cut your [parentloving] head off!"
...
Reese began walking back to his classroom, the teacher added, when she says she heard him yelling, “She is a stupid [parentlover], and I will drag her by the back of my car and cut her [doggone] head off for disrespecting my Jewish flag,” the report stated.

The student [told the deputy] she entered Reese’s classroom, pointed to the flag and asked him why he had it hanging there. According to the student, Reese responded he was Jewish and had family members who still live there, the report stated.

The student told him she found the flag offensive due to “Israelis killing (Palestinians),” and then claimed Reese became angry, she told the deputy.

 

[Tuur]

Warner Robins rang a bell. Found this from a Macon, Georgia, news site. Macon isn't far north of Warner Robins.

Warner Robins teacher accused of threatening to kill student over comment about his Israeli flag

Benjamin Reese's bond was set at $2,500 for the terroristic threat charge and $5,000 for the charge of cruelty to children. Reese has since bonded out.

www.13wmaz.com

 

[Ana the Ist]

Benjamin Reese, a 51-year-old seventh grade teacher at Warner Robins Middle School, was arrested on charges of making terroristic threats and cruelty to children in the third degree, according to an incident report from the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, which lists more than 20 witnesses.

The incident report – written by a sheriff’s deputy who was on duty at the school when the incident occurred – cites several witnesses who said they heard Reese shouting profane threats at three female students in the seventh-grade hallway on December 7, including, “You [parentloving] piece of [poop]! I’ll kick your [butt]! I should cut your [parentloving] head off!"
...
Reese began walking back to his classroom, the teacher added, when she says she heard him yelling, “She is a stupid [parentlover], and I will drag her by the back of my car and cut her [doggone] head off for disrespecting my Jewish flag,” the report stated.

The student [told the deputy] she entered Reese’s classroom, pointed to the flag and asked him why he had it hanging there. According to the student, Reese responded he was Jewish and had family members who still live there, the report stated.

The student told him she found the flag offensive due to “Israelis killing (Palestinians),” and then claimed Reese became angry, she told the deputy.

Good reason to remove flags from the classroom.

 

[The Barbarian]

This guy should never have become a teacher.

 

[Ana the Ist]

This guy should never have become a teacher.

Well he had no way of knowing how political his job would become. There's a teacher who used to post here a lot...

He used to support the increased politicization. I recall telling him it could backfire very easily since he's a white guy. I haven't seen him post in a long time. I hope he still has a job.

 

[Tuur]

Well he had no way of knowing how political his job would become. There's a teacher who used to post here a lot...

He used to support the increased politicization. I recall telling him it could backfire very easily since he's a white guy. I haven't seen him post in a long time. I hope he still has a job.

Politicization is one thing; the alleged behavior of the teacher is quite another.

 

[Tuur]

Good reason to remove flags from the classroom.

Including the US flag?

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Including the US flag?

Nope, Can't do it. How else would we be able to remind the children what country they live in or who the good guys are?

 

[RileyG]

Terrible.

 

[rambot]

For such an innocuous statement, that is irrational and awful. Ax to him.

There are things that COUYLD have been said where I could see that response feeling bit more justified, but for HER comment? Nope.

 

[Pommer]

Nope, Can't do it. How else would we be able to remind the children what country they live in or who the good guys are?

Yes, “the good guys” are always the ones going around the world with their military reminding every nation on the Earth that they’re “the good guys”. Or else.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Yes, “the good guys” are always the ones going around the world with their military reminding every nation on the Earth that they’re “the good guys”. Or else.

I'm doing that right now! And I brought the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group with me.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

You better watch out, I'm telling you why, a 1000lb JDAM is coming to town.

 

[seashale76]

This is horrible. I'm glad he was arrested. However, it also goes to show why no flag other than the US flag should be in any classroom in the US. Whackos are using special interest flags to push their own cultish ideologies onto students.

 

[Pommer]

This is horrible. I'm glad he was arrested. However, it also goes to show why no flag other than the US flag should be in any classroom in the US. Whackos are using special interest flags to push their own cultish ideologies onto students.

No State (or Commonwealth) flags then?
Huh.

 

[seashale76]

No State (or Commonwealth) flags then?
Huh.

^ Prime example of being disingenuous right here.

I somehow managed to teach social studies for twelve years in a public school without needing flags in my classroom.

However, I can tell you about how one of my students went to the ACLU and threatened a law suit on a related arts teacher for telling the students to stand for the pledge during a delayed schedule on a snow day. So, we weren't even allowed to do the whole US flag thing back in the 2012 days.

Yet, somehow, all the special interest groups are 100% about their flags now. They can take a long walk off a short pier, as far as I'm concerned. This current generation is lost.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Politicization is one thing;

Right...in this case, it's the thing that caused the behavior of the teacher.

the alleged behavior of the teacher is quite another.

Which is inexcusable. Different people have different views...and obviously this child is ignorant of reality, and not genuinely offended by the flag. It seems like there's a lot of these incidents where children/parents/teachers are offended by flags. It's all very silly, but an extension of the old "we're offended by this statue" nonsense that resulted in a lot of destruction of property....which was followed by the long period of performative outrage at "confederate flags" which had to be removed immediately from everywhere...

Then, to no one's surprise, a lot of BLM and gay/lesbian flags were put up all over the place....seemingly in complete contradiction with the prior outrage at flags.

A school can choose to either let flags fly (and it would have to be any flags...I don't care if it's a nazi flag)...or let no flags in school.

I'm just saying since it seems so many people can't deal with flags...no flags (except for the US flag, since it's a public school) should be allowed.

 

[iluvatar5150]

How I imagine everybody in that room:

 

[Ana the Ist]

No State (or Commonwealth) flags then?
Huh.

It's a public school in the US....I don't see anything wrong with recognizing the people giving you the education. If a state flag is at a school...there's nothing really wrong with that either.

The problem is these folks who demanded all these other flags be taken down (like the confederate flag) because they were suddenly "offended" almost immediately began putting up flags of a political nature in their classrooms (BLM flags, Pride flags, the 150 different genders flags, etc) and acted as if the people who were offended were making a big deal about nothing...

It can't be both, right? Either you accept that people have different beliefs and can display their political allegiance to radical anti-USA groups and scam artists or they can't, right?

Otherwise, you're just persecuting people who hold different political beliefs. If that's what someone engages in...then perhaps the teacher was engaged in political satire and all charges should be dropped.

 

[Ana the Ist]

There are things that COUYLD have been said where I could see that response feeling bit more justified, but for HER comment? Nope.

Unless he was giving a lesson on political satire or hyperbole...I can't think of a situation where such threats of violence are justified.

I'm definitely interested in what sort of situation where you believe it's justified. Go ahead and throw out any examples you were thinking of....