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When asked about run ins with the law, most Ipswich High School students responded with a shocked expression. Though many others giggle and nod out an embarrassed yes. Unfortunately for some Ipswich High School students, their run ins with the law have not gone so smoothly.

One student who was kind enough to share their personal story with the Tiger Transcript dictated the tale of the time they and their friends were driving through New Hampshire having a grand ole’ time.  That is until they heard the dooming sound of wooing sirens and saw flashing red and blue. “We got pulled over in North Conway,” said the student. “It felt like I was in a movie, and I thought everything was going to be alright; that was until my friend got pulled out from the car by the cops.” The student’s face still scrunches as he speaks of this experience. When asked if charges were pressed, the student rolls his eyes and lists the long list of charges that were pressed. They recite the list as though they had been rehearsing for quite some time. “Well let’s see, a DUI for the driver. And all of us got charged with being minors in possession of alcohol as well as possession of marijuana paraphernalia. There was also an airsoft gun that the cops thought was real, which obviously it wasn’t.” The follow up question asked after this information was shared by the student was what the punishments for all these charges were. The student answered quickly, “agh that was the worst part. We had to do 20 hours community service and take a program on the risks of underage drinking”.  Some may argue they got off easy, while others would be appalled with the extent of their punishment. Either way, the student said they learned a whole lot from the experience.

Another student was interviewed on run ins with the law. The second student who was interviewed told their story in full. Barely taking time to breath as they shared their unfortunate tale. They started the story with, “I was driving to Vermont with my friends, and we had to pull over into a rest stop parking lot because one of them was sick. Someone must have called the cops saying that we were drinking in the parking lot in which we had pulled over into. It’s so stupid that someone called the cops because we were NOT drinking. The reason we were in the parking lot was because my friend was car sick. All of us were in the car except for my friend who was sick, so when the cops came we assumed they were going to go up to him. I mean he was puking, I see why it may have looked bad. Anyway, the cop came up to my friend who was driving and promptly pulled him out of the car and began questioning him on what was in the car. My friend was saying that he didn’t have to share that, which angered the cop. The cop then said he was going to bring dogs unless my friend told him what was in the car. So my friend was like ‘fine, I have a little bit of weed in the car.’  We all got taken to the station in cop cars where we had to call our parents and have them pick us up; we were all the way in New Hampshire.”  

After hearing these IHS students accounts regarding their run ins with the law, the question becomes what do IHS students’ parents think about these run ins? A mother of an IHS senior who asked to not be named, was kind enough to share her thoughts on the matter. Unprompted she stated, “I think the kids do plenty of dumb stuff, completely unacceptable and careless things. But, I also think that the dumb things they do are important aspects of growing up.” When prompted she elaborated on her initial statement, saying, “When my kid’s have pushed the bill and gotten in trouble with school or the law, I am of course disappointed as a mother. But I know that I would be more disappointed if they weren’t going to parties and hanging out with friends, bringing adventure to and enjoying their youth. I’ve managed to  raise children  that I trust to make good choices and keep themselves safe in whatever situation they get into. Though if that wasn’t the relationship I held with my children, I’m sure I would be much less confident in giving them such free rein of their free-time.”
The testimony by an IHS student’s mother as well as the stories that were shared by IHS students, illustrate that IHS students do in fact get in trouble with the law. The article also makes it clear that the punishment for run ins with the law are not light. With that said, obey the law.