Trying times –Colt students learn about law from the inside

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

A group of Colt Elementary fifth-graders experienced the inner workings of the legal process by participating in a mock trial at Marble Falls’ Teen Court Monday evening, Feb. 9. Twelve Colt Character Crew (C3) students visited the court, which is held in the city council chambers once a month.

“They all got to use the judge’s gavel, which was fun,” said Colt Elementary counselor Christina DeLoach, who started the C3 program in 2013.

C3 students, called Master Leaders, do community service projects and leadership development exercises.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Dane Lackey, junior defense attorney. It gave me a better idea of the law and how bad stuff can get.” Lackey, already well-spoken with a confident air, said he wants to be a lawyer when he grows up.

Half of the students were attorneys (three on defense, three on prosecution), and the other half were jurors. Jurors were tasked with deciding the punishment of the Big Bad Wolf (played by Burnet County Attorney Eddie Arredondo, befittingly decked out in a wolf mask), who was guilty of speeding 50 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone, through a park with children and pets nearby.

When asked who had the most fun, Emily Mata, junior prosecutor, raised her hand.

“It was cool because we learned more about the law and how it all works,” she said.

Mata was pleased with the outcome of the case because the Wolf’s punishment was almost what the prosecution team had asked.

“We asked for the punishment to be 30 hours of community service and three terms on jury duty, and the jury decided on 25 hours and three terms,” she said.

One of the jurors, Chasity Sauer, said it took about 10 minutes of deliberation to decide the Wolf’s fate. Sauer learned being a juror is serious business. “You have to have a good reason to decide the way you do,” she said. “You have to think about not just what they did, but why.”

For more on this story, see Tuesday's Highlander.