Recently divulged information about Trayvon Martin's checkered academic history has added a new dimension to the very public discussion about the deceased teenager's month-old shooting.
As it turns out, Martin was suspended a number of times from Krop Senior High School in Miami Gardens for infractions ranging from tardiness and truancy up to possession of marijuana and a screwdriver that the school's security staff described as a "burglary tool."
The troubling incidents date back to October 2011, when Martin was allegedly caught with a horde of women's jewelry and the aforementioned screwdriver, according the Miami Herald. According to a report issued by Trayvon's school district, on October 21, security camera footage showed Trayvon Martin and two other students writing "W.T.F." on a hallway locker. A security guard saw the footage, detained Trayvon and searched his bag for the offending marker. In the process of the search, the guard uncovered 12 pieces of women's jewelry, a watch and the screwdriver.
Trayvon claimed at the time that an unnamed friend furnished him with the jewelry and temporarily avoided disciplinary action -- only to be subsequently suspended for the graffiti.
School police impounded the jewelry and sent photographs of the items to local police, according the district's own report. Martin was then suspended, warned and dismissed.
The Martin family's attorney confirmed that Trayvon had been suspended for graffiti, but insisted that the the family knew nothing about the jewelry or alleged "burglary tool" mentioned in the school district's report. Both the Martin family and their attorney suggested that the report about Trayvon's disciplinary history was disingenuous and may even have been intended to "demonize" the deceased youth.