HALF MOON BAY (Map, News) - The parents of a fourth-grader are suing multiple county agencies, claiming that sheriff’s deputies interrogated and traumatized their son after school officials accused him of making violent threats days after the Virginia Tech massacre.

In a lawsuit filed April 24, Karyn and Joseph Roark allege that their son, who is now in the fifth grade, was traumatized by deputies in April 2007 after El Granada Elementary School Principal Melinda Fore called authorities to report that the boy was making threats.

In the first incident, on April 25, 2007, Karyn Roark claims in the lawsuit that she received a call from Fore that her son made threats and that deputies had been dispatched to the school. Roark claims in court documents she arrived to find her son exhausted and teary eyed.

The lawsuit claims the two deputies interrogated the frightened boy without the parents’ presence, at one point telling him, “You know you want to kill people. Who do you want to kill?” The Roarks claim authorities took their son by ambulance to San Mateo Medical Center and told his mother that she had no say in the matter.

Once at the hospital, doctors determined he was not a threat to himself or others, and suggested authorities had overreacted due to the Virginia Tech rampage, which occurred nine days earlier.

In court documents, the Roarks say they have never received details from school officials about the nature of the threats, and that no one was a firsthand witness to the alleged threats.

Among those named in the lawsuit are the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department, the San Mateo County Office of Education and the Cabrillo Unified School District and its current superintendent, Robert Gaskill.

Sheriff’s Lt. Marc Alcantara said he could not comment on the incident, citing privacy concerns involving mental health issues and children. Gaskill also said he could not comment, but said that in general, many schools have zero-tolerance policies when it comes to threats. Porter Sexton, senior administrator with the San Mateo Office of Education, said his office had not yet been served with the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleges that on March 4 of this year, their son’s freedom of speech was violated when he was unfairly suspended from Alvin S. Hatch Elementary School after drawing a picture that contained a gun. The boy’s parents said in the lawsuit that the image was nonviolent and depicted a scene from a video game.

tbarak@examiner.com

Wide-ranging claim

Two disciplinary incidents against a Half Moon Bay elementary school student have spawned a lawsuit against multiple county agencies. These are the agencies and officials named.

» San Mateo County Office of Education

Superintendent Jean Holbrook

» Cabrillo Unified School District

Superintendent Robert Gaskill

Former interim Superintendent Allan Kass

» El Granada Elementary School

Principal Melinda Fore

Teacher Laurie McMahon

School psychologist Connie Johnson

» Alvin S. Hatch Elementary School

Principal Mark Loos

Teacher Jan McFarland-Brown

» San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department

San Mateo County Health Department

American Medical Response West

Comments from Examiner Readers

5:06 PM MST on Mon., May. 12, 2008 re: "Ex-officer offered deal in alleged scam case"

Examiner Reader said:
Makes you wonder what else have these men have robbed.. The teenager was probally cond by these men. The courts should really look into them and see what else they can find if they did it to this store there must be much more. Don't you think so?

Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

12:51 AM MST on Wed., Apr. 9, 2008 re: "Ex-officer offered deal in alleged scam case"

Examiner Reader said:
What about the people sitting in prison now that might be innocent?

5 agree | 0 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

4:35 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 8, 2008 re: "Ex-officer offered deal in alleged scam case"

Rachel Hernandez said:
One thing about dishonest people. They are eventually caught. In this case, the corrupt cop was discovered along with his criminal friends. What do they say? Birds of a feather flock together. Criminals hang out with criminals... they are easy to spot.

0 agree | 1 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

8:16 AM MST on Mon., Apr. 7, 2008 re: "Woman going to prison for embezzling $1.4 million"

Examiner Reader said:
I wonder if all that stuff from her shopping sprees and whatnot was really worth it to her now? I don't think she can take it with her to Federal Prison. And who the heck is going to hire this woman once she is released? How on earth is she ever going to pay back the money plus restitution? It's amazing what some people think they can get away with. I think that someone (perhaps a generous designer) should donate the most hideous garb they can possibly come up with and she should be required to wear the clothing/outfits the entire time she is in prison.

7 agree | 1 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

12:29 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008 re: "Woman going to prison for embezzling $1.4 million"

Examiner Reader said:
Sorry Sister, Louis Vuitton does not make prison garb. What a skank!

4 agree | 1 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

5:22 PM MST on Mon., Mar. 3, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Examiner Reader said:
You cannot turn in a criminal if you set up your sting and say I'm calling you out. What a farce! If you think he did something wrong, you go through the proper channels. If anyone with an ounce of common sense believes that, I have a bridge for sale too. Yee, Mak, Gruel, Jew should all share the same jail cell.

21 agree | 12 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

1:07 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 25, 2008 re: "Run over girlfriend, get two-year term"

Examiner Reader said:
My son gets stabbed thru the heart in ssf his attacker gets 13 months my son will never be the same , This person got more time.Must of had a horrible lawyer .The lawyer should of taken the judge golfing she would of ended up with a few hours behind bars.There is no justice in San Mateo

28 agree | 36 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

5:56 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Examiner Reader said:
Lawyers don't commit the crimes - criminals commit the crimes. Without criminals there would be no lawyers.

56 agree | 27 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

5:35 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Examiner Reader said:
Our parents used to suggest to their children to "be a lawyer." Everyone we knew was saying the same thing. Now, I took an informal poll the other day and asked if sentiments were the same for our children and grandchildren. "NO!" was the answer. Interesting, isn't it? The sleazy have overwhelmed the occupation so much that nobody has any respect for them any more. They're viewed as liars and troublemakers out for ego and money.

34 agree | 40 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

5:17 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Examiner Reader said:
Yee tuned in a criminal to the authorities - why blame him? Why not blame the criminal? Ed Jew commited the crimes, not Yee. Jew's gonna look real cute in that orange jumpsuit.

35 agree | 44 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

5:12 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Examiner Reader said:
Jew's attorney is grasping at straws. No one made Jew take the dirty money except Jew himself, (and maybe his greedy wife). Gruel was brought in to clean up his mess, and now he's trying to blame the guy who helped him the most. First Fazio, then Gruel. Next he'll turn on Hanlon because he refuses to accept responsibility for his crimes.

35 agree | 28 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

5:11 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Barton said:
wow, and to think i trusted yee and mak to be standup folks. no more.

38 agree | 34 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

3:59 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Seven said:
I don't put anything past Yee and Mak. We don't need or want Chinatown corruption in the sleepy Sunset. At least Carmen Chu seems uncorrupted. Chu is exactly what District 4 needed to heal from the Jew mess. It's one of the few things I thank Newsom for doing.

46 agree | 19 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

1:43 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Examiner Reader said:
To blame everyone but yourself is the American way. That's why Ledger died because it is the fault of the industry. That's why we can all do bad things. It is not our fault, it is someone else.

32 agree | 31 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

11:23 AM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Examiner Reader said:
justice is seeing mak, yee, gruel (who should be de-barred) trade their clothes for prison clothes. mak you lost the supe race...get OVER it! yee and gruel...payback is going to be a bxxch for you both!

54 agree | 37 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

10:13 AM MST on Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 re: "Lawyer says Ed Jew victim of conspiracy"

Examiner Reader said:
Why does Ed Jew blame everyone else but himself?

34 agree | 39 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

6:43 AM MST on Thu., Feb. 7, 2008 re: "City is stuck with bill for legal fees"

L. Amiot said:
Justice must be sought at any and all costs. Justice is not abitrary, but is based on facts and rules of law. If it costs tax money to get justice for Sgt. John V. Young, and the rest of us in San Francisco, consider that a good investment in the safety of our city. Why would anyone complain that it costs money to prosecute murderers?

48 agree | 49 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

5:20 AM MST on Thu., Feb. 7, 2008 re: "City is stuck with bill for legal fees"

Examiner Reader said:
This was one of the worst crimes in SF history. It was simply a cold blooded murder of a good police sergeant. It was premeditated in that the perpetrators were going to kill anyone who was there. I've always thought that it was related to the ambush of Officer Richard Radetich which occured around the same time. That stated, there must be a trial and the defendants must have attorneys so pay their attorneys and get on with it. The "conflict of interest" aspect interests me: are some innocent?

47 agree | 47 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

8:07 AM MST on Wed., Nov. 28, 2007 re: "Mistrial declared in 18-year-old cold case"

Examiner Reader said:
Hope you have kids you don't watch after. Go drop them off in the neighborhood, let's see what happens.

90 agree | 81 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate

6:09 PM MST on Tue., Nov. 27, 2007 re: "Mistrial declared in 18-year-old cold case"

Examiner Reader said:
Nice to know that Kiddies can get away with Murder and victims families won't get any justice. Justice??? WHAT'S THAT?????

89 agree | 93 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate