BRIAN ROSS REPORTS
- Like Jay-Z + the Beatles, But Worse
- Update: Help for Homeless Children
- Bush Era, Revised -- and with More Barbeque
- The Tax Woman Cometh
- Paging Mr. Stanford: Antigua Called
- Who Are You Calling Partisan?
- Update: IRS Won't Use Private Debt Collectors
- But Is It Art?
- PMA Scandal a Sore Point for Dems in 2010?
- Down in Flames
- A New Mystery for RNC Chief
- PMA Clients Were Big Givers
- Raided Lobby Firm Still a Force on Capitol Hill
- Stanford Update: Another $143 Mil Found
- Cheney, Hooked on Controversy
TOP BLOTTER CATEGORIES
- Abramoff Lobbying Scandal
- American Al Qaeda
- Avian Flu
- Beirut Hospital Out of Gas
- Cheney
- CIA
- CIA Secret Prisons
- D.C. Madam Affair
- FBI
- Federal Air Marshal Service
- Homeland Security
- Hurricane Katrina
- IRS
- Mark Foley Internet Scandal
- Millionaire Sex Scandal
- Nigerian E-mail Scams
- Norman Hsu, Clinton Fundraiser
- NSA: Wiretapping
- Osama bin Laden
- Payola
- Pharmacy Investigation
- PMA
- Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
- Stanford
- Steele
- Terror
- Troopergate
- U.K. Airline Terror Plot
- U.K. Bombing Attempts
- Wen Ho Lee
- William Jefferson
- Zarqawi
« Previous | Main | Next »
This Won't Look Good on the College Application
Email
Print
ShareDecember 14, 2006 12:50 PM
Police say three A's and a B+ apparently weren't good enough for the senior class president of Cooper City High School in Cooper City, Fla.
Eighteen-year-old Ryan Shrouder was arrested at his school Tuesday, accused by authorities of using a school-issued computer to boost his grades and those of 19 other students. He was charged with two felony counts of computer crime that carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Shrouder told ABCNews.com he is innocent and outraged that he was arrested during the school's lunch hour and that police walked him out in front of "hundreds" of students and parents.
THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS
"I said, 'Can you put the handcuffs on me once we get out?' 'Nope, we got to put them on you now.' Behind your back, the whole nine yards," says Shrouder. "I felt like a murderer."
Shrouder is a student advisor to the county school board and a member of the Sheriff Department's Explorer police program.
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Shrouder used a school district laptop computer assigned to him as a student advisor to access a special program, sign-on and password to change his grades and those of other students.
The police report states that a student witnessed Shrouder using the computer to change grades, and school surveillance cameras corroborate the story by reportedly showing the student and Shrouder together on the day the grades were changed. According to the report, Shrouder's grades were changed 21 times for the better.
Shrouder calls the charges against him "inaccurate," and says that while "other students were involved," he was the only one arrested. "The accusations they're making against me are 100 percent false," he says. "There's a lot of loose ends, and we're prepared to take it to court."
Broward County School Board spokesperson Keith Bromery says three students are now suspended in the grade-changing investigation, and all three face possible expulsion. "We are treating this matter very seriously because these are vital records," Bromery told ABC News. "We need to maintain the integrity of the records because they stay with you for future applications."
Shrouder has posted a $5,000 bond and says he will plead not guilty. He says he had planned to apply to Florida State University but can't now because he says the school will not release his transcripts.
December 14, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (50)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Son, you know the old saying "you play, you pay. Others have to actually "earn" their grades the good old fashion way, STUDY.
Posted by: Brenda | Dec 14, 2006 1:22:53 PM
Oops!
Posted by: Joe | Dec 14, 2006 1:37:36 PM
"Outraged" because he was arrested during lunch at school? Being led away in handcuffs in front of his peers should be the least of Shrouder's worries...
Posted by: DKS | Dec 14, 2006 6:18:07 PM
Cheating is widespread. It's embarrassing. Winning at all costs (except putting the hard work in) permeates society today.
Here is a shocking example: I know of a mother who is a bright scientist working for a large company who is writing papers for her mediocre student son in college.
Posted by: Anonymous | Dec 15, 2006 9:02:57 AM
Was there no computer security policy setup so students can't access that area of the system? And for such a smart(?) student to have to go back 21 times? Something is not as it seems...
Posted by: skidog | Dec 15, 2006 11:47:22 AM
Thank goodness this scam did not originate from Nigerian student. Other wise it would have been tagged 'COLLEGES TARGETED BY NIGERIAN GRADE BOOSTER'
Posted by: Sam | Dec 15, 2006 11:53:30 AM
HE IS INNOCENT. I GO TO THIS SCHOOL AND I TELL YOU THAT IT WAS THE SCHOOL BOARDS FAULT. NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIM AND HE ALREADY GOT ACCEPTED BY A COUPLE OF COLLEGES. WE ALL KNOW THAT HE IS NOT GOING TO GO TO JAIL. THE MOST HE'LL GET IS PROBATION.
Posted by: Mary | Dec 15, 2006 7:37:24 PM
How stupid can you be? I worked my butt off through high school and ended up with a scholarship and as a student council member at my college. It's rediculous that someone who is in a government, role model position should shed such a dissapointing example to those around them.
Posted by: silly1 | Dec 15, 2006 8:03:51 PM
Innocent until proven guilty. Why a public arrest? Why not issue a warrant and ask someone to turn themselves in? Something is not meshing for me in this story, and I do not believe in 'prove your innocence'. I believe you should prove someone is guilty. It's too bad our country no longer feels like this is the appropriate way to handle our legal system. The ends DO NOT justify the means. Let's teach our children that the legal system is set up to protect the innocent - not net the innocent to assure we catch the guilty. America 101.
Posted by: Kim | Dec 18, 2006 2:38:04 PM
"The accusations are totally false" and "I'm not the only one involved but the only one arrested" are mutually exclusive. The guy made a bad mistake but he does seem to have a solid record of accomplishment. What good does it do to "throw the towel at him" this way. If he had not been paraded while handcuffed ("the whole nine yards") before his peers, perhaps he would have been more repentant for his mistakes.
Posted by: Prof. | Dec 18, 2006 8:53:17 PM
Class President he was. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Whenever anyone uses proclaims they are 100 innocent I am suspecious. Let's have a trial.
Posted by: Lowell Bethel | Dec 18, 2006 8:56:30 PM
Kim, he hasn't been proven guilty yet......thats we he is going to court......however there IS something called probable cause. This wasn't just pulled out of the air. At first glance, I have a hard time believing this is one big mix up.
"Why not issue a warrant and ask someone to turn themselves in?" --Because people generally don't like turning themselves in when they are facing 30 years in prison. Btw, our legal system was setup to ensure Justice-that of giving each man his due.
Posted by: Andrew | Dec 18, 2006 10:39:38 PM
It's interesting that many of the comments here pretty much assume he's guilty.
This kind of lemming mentality is frightening.
Posted by: bigbrother | Dec 18, 2006 11:38:36 PM
Ha Ha Smart Guy rich kid got caught and is gonna pull the liberal boo hoo why me I am so misunderstood routine.
On more college seat for a deserving student and one less floor sweeper job for someone hard working.
C'ya Loser !!!
Posted by: Tony | Dec 19, 2006 12:03:26 AM
Dear Mary and Kim,..
Booo Hooo. He got caught red handed and you defend him ?
Why a public arrest ? Because we don't arrest people when it convenient to them. Oops, our 5 time murderer is having dinner with his mum and we should be considerate,...Buhahahahaa !!
You girls are stupid !!
Posted by: Tony | Dec 19, 2006 12:16:36 AM
Funny how the cops are all over someone possibly cheating, but when someone is murdered, raped, or mugged, the cops are never around when you need one.
Posted by: Rick, Atlanta, GA | Dec 19, 2006 9:00:04 AM
OK, if this kid did it, he deserves to lose any opportunity for a "funded" college education. If he was willing to change his grades, who is to say that any of his real work was actually his? Notice the big "IF's".
It is pretty appalling though that he is facing 30 years when our system regularly gives probation to sexual offenders!!
Posted by: Dave D | Dec 20, 2006 11:34:45 AM
This is not a good idea. Everyone has to work hard to earn grades. This is not fair for others. This school system is bad. How can someone get into the system to change grades that easy. I would never like to go to this school. Some schools officers need to be arrested too. I think!
Posted by: Boo | Dec 21, 2006 1:28:05 PM
I just think its sad how many people here already beleive he is guilty, whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty." YOu can still make the argument that you worked hard to get what you wanted, but don't say he hasn't until you A) know more and B) was proven guilty. Wouldn't you want peopel to treat yout he same?
Posted by: ken | Dec 21, 2006 1:48:21 PM
Fry him and get it over with...
Posted by: Mairtan | Dec 21, 2006 2:09:06 PM
Post a comment
