I hope it was Singer's property book -- the only book I saved to burn.

Oh dear. Another white man with a gun. Do you think it's because of the music they listen to? Maybe it's cultural ...?

I'd like to see this guy and Adam Key go at it in a cage match.

Who hasn't stood outside their apartment complex, shooting up some books with their trust assault rifle?

Some people need to take a look in the mirror.

I always eat taco bell over the sections of my contracts book that discuss sections of the restatement of contracts, second. Is this news-worthy?

Heck, he's not the first law student to shoot the shit out of his books, he's just the first to do so off a firing range.

Wait a sec, the dean is assuring the school that this dude will remain in custody for the foreseeable future? Does the dean double as the local prosecutor? The judge? Just based on her knowledge of crim pro?

Did he have a job offer somewhere? Is there an opening now?

He bears a vague resemblance to a gentleman named Igor Vovchanchyn, (speaking of cage matches and all...)

6:52....that is the funniest thing I've read here. Hilarious.

Burning/shooting at my property textbook = 21 + (life in being) years bad luck.

Maybe he thought his law books were Calvin Sampson's phone records and he was trying to destroy the evidence.

Kelvin, dumbass.

Thanks for pointing that out, 3:47. I don't want to accidentally insult any "Calvin Sampson" who might read this. To be clear, the dirty cheat, who represents the school willing to do/put up with anything to win basketball games, is Kelvin Sampson.

Actually, the shooter and the nose-breaker were quite good friends and frequent social companions. That was an.... interesting... class. I'm quite glad I'm not there anymore.

But this year's 2Ls are reputed to be very nice.

Jess is a great guy and friend just a little rough around the edges. This isnt some guy who grew up in a cozy perfect family, he was raised hard, and has dealt with more than most anyone can handle!!!

Dear 9:46,

We're glad you're not here anymore too!

Love,

The Other 226 Students in the Class of '08

Dear 9:46,

We're glad you're not here anymore too!

Love,

The Other 226 Students in the Class of '08

AS LAW STUDENTS YOU GUYS SHOULD KNOW NOT TO BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ OR HEAR....WAIT TILL THE FACTS COME OUT AND THEN MAKE YOUR NARROW MINDED JUDGEMENTS....THOUGH I MUST SAY IM NOT SUPRISED...YOU RICH KIDS DONT KNOW WHAT STRESS AND HARD TIMES ARE...RESPECT

Kirk, the only one with the "narrow mind" is you, believing that law students are inherently "rich kids." I spent a portion of my early life on welfare, son. I can sense your inferiority complex based on the excessive use of caps. Listen, bro, I don't respect you but your life's gonna be alright ... pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get your own life out of the gutter. (Now I feel like Jim Rome.)

Law school can be stressful. I dare say your books will probably be more valuable on e-bay without holes in them when you're trying to sell them to pay off your loans.

It'll all be over soon, I promise...
In the mean time, be good to each other.

It's sort of funny that the people that know Jesse the least has had the most things to say about him. Where are all the people that know him? Well, luckily people that read this blog will not get such a one sided approach.

Fact: Jesse did something very stupid and not well thought out.

Fact: No one was hurt and no one was supposed to get hurt either.

Fact: Jesse is one of the brightest students at the law school. He has the ability to walk into a lecture, seminar, trial and blow the professors and students away with his intense class preparation.

Fact: Jesse is also a great person, great friend and all around a great human being. It is easy to judge someone that you don't know. Get all the facts first.

Maybe this kid has some issues that need to be worked out. Yes. But, instead of kicking him out of school where he surely will not succeed. Wouldn't it be great to show our support for someone in need?

Why not allow him to take classes for his obvious drinking problem. Why not get him therapy to help him deal with the tragedy that has been going on in his life that not a lot of people know about or care to know about. Let him finish one more semester of school that he has paid over a $100,000 for aside from his hard work.

Teach our community and our children that we don't turn our backs on people that need us the most.

"Fact: Jesse did something very stupid and not well thought out."

He shot an assault rifle, in a populated area, while very intoxicated, then tried to run from the law. And he's supposed to get a second chance to be a lawyer?

I appreciate your rather desperate attempt to, I guess, "salvage" the reputation of the school. But the school did a good job on its own. They communicated with the students, and they have refused to let him back in. They can't really be faulted for letting in a bad apple or two.

The only people making the school look bad right now are the Jesse Sneed apologizers on this board.

You wonder why this school has produced 1) a guy who broke a fellow student's nose, 2) a guy who shot a rifle across the street from a restaurant and a medical complex, and 3) a guy whose third drunk driving accident resulted in the death of an innocent - all in less than a year? It's because morons like the people on this board convince the law students that they can do anything, and it's just bad manners to talk about it, let alone face some consequences? Get real. He didn't jaywalk. He risked lives and tried to avoid the consequences

And, "We should appreciate his GPA..." is the WRONG attitude to take.

As for the points about his contribution to the law school community? Jesse Sneed is well-known for being a violent, uncontrollable drunk. I was there when he pushed a classmate from behind, and sent him flying. I've heard stories of an unprovoked punch to another classmate. And I know no one wanted to drink with him. Except the guy who broke the nose, and, well, his girlfriend. So. Great group.

Friends of Jesse Sneed should focus on getting the guy some anger management therapy, not on trying to pretend this guy was some sort of upstanding citizen.

Obviously all the bloggers here and blog readers are perfect angels.

Congrats. I am sure that you all NEVER make any mistakes and NEVER do anything wrong.

Here is a tip: If you don't have anything positive to say than maybe you should keep your comments to yourself.

And for the people that heard a friend of a friend say that Jesse did something unkind to another maybe should step back and realize that if you don't know something to be a fact (first hand) keep your big mouth shut

Gossip is sad, pathetic, and unnecessary

When all your points are proven to be, well, dumb. Is to say, "If you can't say anything nice."

Sometimes the truth isn't nice. This guy broke a number of laws. While very intoxicated. Then tried to run from the police. That's not good.

But, the school is handling it well. It shouldn't reflect poorly on anyone but the guy in question. So I guess I can't see why you're on here trying to minimize what he did in the name of "niceness..."

As for facts. Please. I said I saw him push a guy from behind. That's not enough to indicate he's a little edgy?

You're hanging on to a loser of an argument, and I don't know why. If you're really his friend, get him into anger management. Don't waste your time trying to pretend he's fine and it's everyone ELSE who has a problem with "facts" and "not saying something nice..." Geez. The guy shot a gun in public and hid from the cops. How is failing to ignore that fact "being fair" to him, in your mind?

Children and professionals and elderly people trying to visit the doctor sat in fear, unable to leave the building, wondering if our town was going to be the next VA Tech, while this guy tried to hide from the cops (Like a true legal scholar, I guess). And you get on here to talk about his GPA? And, "Don't rush to judgment..."

He shot assault rifles, in public, on a weekday morning. There's no "rush" involved here. He did it. What are you thinking?

Please grow up and become a better rep for our school. Because you're making us look bad.

Hey "Friend of Jesse Sneed,"

How about his coke problem?

How about his anger management problems?

How about the fact that he will punch a person in the jaw from behind while Steve...errr...Nose Breaker distracts them?

I don't care what tragedy he's dealt with...and yes, I do know about his troubles...he's 27 years old and should be mature enough to deal with loss like an adult. It's nobody's fault but Jesse's that he can't control his impulses. It is not because of the tragedy he has dealt with. It is because he has substance abuse and anger management issues. He makes bad choices and never pays for them. He has had plenty of second chances, and countless opportunities to seek help for his problems, but has chosen to act like an immature frat boy, and now he's suffering the consequences.

Hey, Don't buy it...rather sleazy and low blows, don't you think? Look, Jesse is paying for this, and will continue to pay for it. In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying the view from your ivory tower.

If you can't substantiate your claims, I'd watch what you say. Throwing around allegations like cocaine abuse - which is not the subject of the current investigation, I might add - is rather serious.

I in no way condone Jesse's conduct. But I can only hope that he will use this opportunity as a wake-up call. And as a friend of Jesse, I believe he will. I have to hope as much, at least. But it is not my place - or anyone else who posts here - to judge him, his motives, or how he chooses to handle what I believe to be a very personal struggle.

Jesse's definitely got some issues but I think it is naive and somewhat ridiculous to think that he'll ever be back in this law school. For one thing, the sheer liability if the Jesse Camp is wrong and he does end up hurting someone is staggering.

Did he mean to hurt anyone? Probably not. Could he easily have accidentally killed someone? Yes.

Not to mention the problems he caused for the businesses in the area and the IMA medical center. People couldn't get to their doctors' appointments, they couldn't get there for treatment of serious conditions...Jesse wreaked havoc for most of a work day.

I don't think he thought it through, amazing how alcohol does that. But it does seem that somewhere in his 27 years and lengthy criminal record, including weapon-related arrests and violent actions he would have woken up to the fact that he simply can NOT drink.

I'm not sure how facts can be either "sleazy" or "low," or how one can substantiate the things they witness, but I also don't see the world through bullshit colored glasses. Regardless of the "subject of the current investigation," you made this a discussion of Jesse's character, and his substance abuse is absolutely relevant to that.

Perhaps I should have carried a video camera with me at all times these last few years, so I could substantiate my "claims" by showing visual proof of things like a car drunkenly driven into a ditch at an apartment complex. Or drugs being used. Or violent, aggressive behavior. Or any of the other myriad activities that directly rebut your claims about Jesse's character.

It's great that he was nice to you. It's great that he was nice to a few people you know. That does nothing to diminish the fact that to the majority of people that encountered Jesse he was aggressive and dangerous. Yes, it was generally a result of alcohol or some other substance, and those substances should surely be blamed for allowing Jesse to consume them, but Jesse is ultimately to blame for his actions. No matter what he has suffered through, he still has a responsibility, to himself and to society, to act like the adult he supposedly is.

And Jesse's "personal struggle," as you refer to it, ceases being personal when his methods of dealing with it endanger those around him.

Finally, and I'm obviously not a Jesse apologist, but I don't know where "Issues" got their information about Jesse's "lengthy criminal record" and "weapon-related arrests." While this is surely not the first violent thing Jesse has done, many of us have witnessed more than a few, nowhere is there any record that Jesse has ever been arrested, charged, or convicted of anything before this incident.

To "Don't buy it..."

I got that information from the Herald Times who ran a background check. You can't say "nowhere is any record..." unless you've looked everywhere. Granted, all his priors were from before law school.

"Issues"

There are no records anywhere in the United States showing that Jesse has ever been convicted of anything.

You are correct, though, I should not have said "nowhere." Perhaps he was convicted somewhere abroad.

Although, that begs the question of how Jesse got into law school in the first place, as a "lengthy criminal record," including "weapons-related arrests," would preclude him from being accepted to any accredited institution.

While I don't doubt the Herald Times is a reputable source, law schools do significantly more research into a candidate's history than a reporter rushing to submit a story.

as a former reporter, i'll second that, DBI...

"Don't Buy It..."

I propose we drop the subject. In reading your previous comments I don't think we actually disagree except on this one point. On this one point we apparently have different information. I trust my (multiple sources of) information, you trust yours. I doubt we'll ever convince each other unless we could show each other that information and compare reliability. I don't really see that happening, thus, truce.

Issues:

What Herald Times article are you referring to? The ones I read only mentioned traffic violations and a minor collection action which has been resolved.

Issues,

A search of the criminal records of all 50 states turns up no criminal history for Jesse. I'm not sure what could be more convincing.

"Don't buy it..."

That's not what my search turned up. Sorry.

"IUB 3L"

Cut and pasted from the HTOnline:

"Sneed has a criminal record in Madison County, Ill., apparently near where he grew up. According to Madison County court records, Sneed received an ordinance violation involving a concealed weapon in 1995, for which he was fined $75; an aggravated use of weapons charge in 2002 that was reduced to reckless conduct, for which he received one year of probation; a battery charge in 2002, for which he received a conviction; and a drunken-driving charge in 2003, for which he received one year of supervision plus alcohol treatment."

Link (hopefully): http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2007/10/19/news.qp-3637964.sto

"That's not what my search turned up. Sorry."

Very compelling support for your argument. Thank god you didn't provide any evidence like where you actually searched...other than a news article.

Unfortunately I was only able to search Illinois' criminal records.

"Don't buy it..."

I believe I already mentioned that I won't talk about sources. So, though I do think you're right and I would have more credibility if I did reveal, that's just not going to happen. You're free to disagree with me, but you're not going to get me to say that I'm wrong when I know I'm not. Thus the reason I wanted to call a truce.

Well done on the sarcasm though, that'll show me!

That's a pretty serious history. Somehow I doubt that the HT made it up. It's pretty specific. Wow.

That's a pretty serious history. Somehow I doubt that the HT made it up. It's pretty specific. Wow.

Only a law student would say something like, "I have a Lexis account, and I couldn't find anything. So I must be right, and the rest of the professional world is simply incompetent..."

Thanks for my giggle-o'-the-day.

Oh, and I agree with IUB 3L. That history sounds way to specific to be made up. Reporters can be sloppy sometimes. But they can also have access to sources that your average law student does not.

Issues -

Jesse would have been 15 in 1995. Juvenile records are not available to the public and even if you somehow had access to them, it is unethical to post them anywhere.

I seriously doubt this is a valid record. If it somehow is, I hope that someone gets your IP address and you get the pleasure of answering to your unethical mishap during character and fitness.

Dumbass.

To anon @ 10:23

I'm simply quoting the HT. I'm sorry you didn't understand that. As for character and fitness, clearly you don't really understand that either. And the last thing you don't understand is that not ALL juvenile records are unavailable to the public. There are many exceptions.

I love how sticking to my point has given rise to all these ad hominem attacks. I have not once attacked anyone all I have done is say that Jesse has a record as shown by the HT and other sources. I haven't really even drawn any conclusion from that other than that he really should learn his lesson at some point!

It's fine to disagree with me, but "dumbass" seriously??

Rush to judgment...rush to judgment, from people who will soon swear to prevent those types of injustices.

My understanding is that the book asked to be put out of it's misery (and probably deserved it)

remember the Duke Lacrosse players.