By Patrick Yost
Editor

A 17-year-old student, who had been expelled from Morgan County High School, was tazed and arrested at Morgan County Middle School on Tuesday, Feb. 19.

Erice Williams, Madison, was arrested and charged with two counts of disruption with the operation of a school and two counts of obstruction of law enforcement officers after he allegedly fought three Morgan County deputies at the middle school.

According to Morgan County Sheriff's Office reports, Williams came to the school at 2:30 p.m. for an arranged lesson that was scheduled at 3:30 p.m. Reports state Williams had been expelled from Morgan County High School for allegedly threatening a teacher.

According to Dr. Ralph Bennett, superintendent of Morgan County Schools, the school system is required by law to provide educational instruction for students even if they have been expelled. Bennett said the system contracts with various instructors across the system to continue lesson plans for expelled students at various schools. In this instance, he said, the lesson plan called for Williams to be instructed at the middle school after school hours with a middle school teacher. Williams, Bennett said, arrived an hour before the scheduled time and was "for all intents and purposes on school grounds illegally."

Reports state that Williams forced his way into the middle school's in-school suspension classroom after being told by an instructor that he was not permitted in the class. The instructor, reports state, told investigators that once inside the classroom Williams allegedly demanded money from students in the classroom and from the instructor.
Williams was located by Morgan County School Resource Officer Deputy James Hickey in the school's cafeteria. Reports state that Williams refused Hickey's command to walk to Hickey's office. Hickey called for a second officer and when the officer arrived  the three walked to Hickey's office, reports state. At the office a third deputy arrived and, reports state, Williams was asked to stand to be placed into custody. Reports state that he refused several times and acted aggressively towards the officers and was tazed in the abdomen. He was then handcuffed and transported to Morgan County Detention Center. One officer suffered a laceration on the forehead from the struggle and another was struck in the jaw.

Printed in the February 28, 2013