DON'T RUSH TO JUDGEMENT AFTER ARREST

Railroaded. Travesty of justice. Exonerated by DNA. Gains freedom
after 25 years. The headlines have become sickeningly routine. They
are sobering reminders of casualties involved in rushing to judgment.

For those who think that happens only somewhere else --
not in Collin County -- think of the conclusions people
reached when they heard the news out of Lovejoy High School:

School worker jailed for cocaine dealing.

Does anyone in the school community remember rushing to judgment? If
so, join the club -- the vast majority of human beings who are quick
to buy into rumor. Sadly, it's the juicy kind of rumor that gets the
most currency. It's the kind that reflects poorly on someone and soils
his or her character. It's the kind that gives the rumormongers a
sense of superiority.

That certainly wasn't the motivation of school officials when they
fired assistant cafeteria manager Christi Hernandez in January after
McKinney police arrested her on drug-peddling charges. Whatever their
motivation, officials were bloody quick to pull the trigger.

Trouble is, their employee was innocent. The cops blew it and arrested
the wrong person. Easy for them to go back about their business.

It's not so easy for the accused. She eventually got her job back, but
Ms. Hernandez still bears the indignity of having been marched out of
her workplace in police custody. And did anyone who saw that spectacle
reserve judgment? Not her bosses. School officials should have waited
until the facts were on the table.

Meantime, next time you hear that the police have made an arrest, try
to remember that doesn't necessarily mean the case is closed. Keep an
open mind. Try your hardest to presume innocence. It's only fair. Just
ask Christi Hernandez.

We all know that's not how it's supposed to work ... don't we?