CONCORD, Massachusetts, October 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A local district attorney has decided not to pursue trespassing charges against David Parker as a result of an incident at his son’s school. Parker spent a night in jail in April for refusing to leave a meeting because his 6-year-old son’s teacher and director of education refused to assure the father that he would be notified when issues of homosexuality and transgenderism were to be discussed.
Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley informed the court this morning that her office has decided not to pursue the criminal trespassing charge against the Lexington parent. The jury trial had been scheduled to begin this morning in Concord District Court.
Parker was arrested on April 27 during the scheduled meeting at his son’s elementary school. School officials ordered him to leave, and ordered him charged with trespassing when he refused. The case has become a national outrage. Wednesday night it was featured on the ABC-TV World News Tonight.
Judge Robert McKenna used a relatively unusual procedure to order the case delayed into administrative limbo, and it will be dropped completely after one year. There is no admission of guilt by Parker, and the full presumption of his innocence officially continues.
According to Jeffrey Denner, Parker’s lead attorney, this procedure is different from the much more commonly used “continued without a finding,” where a defendant admits that sufficient facts exist to warrant a conviction, and the case is also eventually dropped.
“I would have loved to defend this case,” said Denner, according to an Article 8 Alliance release. “But this resolution is far too good to pass up. It’s a great result. The DA chose not to prosecute. There is no admission of guilt and no presumption of guilt.”
Lexington School Superintendent Paul Ash continues to impose a ban against Parker, keeping him from all school property in the town, despite his innocence according to the court. This has caused a great deal of contention among Parker’s supporters, who see this as a punitive act of intimidation, since Parker has never demonstrated himself to be a danger to anyone.
Also at this morning’s court hearing, in addition to Parker’s supporters from around the state, a group of pro-homosexual activists gathered with signs to demonstrate against Parker and attempt to attract media attention.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Father of 6-Year-Old Arrested Over Objection to Homosexual Curriculum in Kindergarten Class
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/apr/05042910.html
Massachusetts Superintendent Instructs Schools: Parents Do Not Have to be Informed About “Diversity” Classes
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/sep/05092602.html
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