LEBANON — Steve Fletcher goes on trial Monday, accused of waving a gun at the school bus stop where he believed older boys had tormented his 11-year-old son.

        It was apparently the last resort for Mr. Fletcher in his efforts to defend his son; for Warren County authorities, it was a clear case of felonious assault that could send Mr. Fletcher to prison for eight years.

Steve Fletcher

        Authorities here say they can't remember another case of bullying that drew such an extreme response.

        Bullying among students is a problem that is drawing increasing attention nationally. A recent study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development reported that 17 percent of students in 15,868 public and private schools said they were bullied, some as often as weekly.

        What's unusual here is that a parent took matters into his own hands, authorities say.

        “The school did investigate the situation and did work with the boys, and we were setting the tone to make sure they understood that's not acceptable,” said Lebanon Schools Superintendent Bill Sears. “We were at those initial stages and Mr. Fletcher felt we should do more. He went a little faster than the system.”

        Until last fall, Mr. Fletcher, 42, was a single dad hustling to raise three sons, ages 13, 11 and 10.

        He worked a flexible job so they wouldn't come home to an empty apartment.

        He racked up the mileage on his car, shuttling the kids back and forth to three soccer fields, three baseball diamonds and just as many band practices.

        To hear him describe it: “I worked and took care of the kids, and that was my life.”

COPING WITH BULLIES

A study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development suggests that bullying is a common experience for many children and adolescents.     A survey of students in grades six through 10 in 15,868 public and private schools found that:     • 17 percent were bullied “sometimes” or “weekly.”     • 19 percent had bullied others.     • 6 percent had bullied and been bullied.     Bullying has become so commonplace that the National Education Association (NEA) launched an awareness campaign and offers tips for teachers, parents and students on how to tackle the bully problem at school. For students     • Tell the bully to stop and get away.     • Tell a teacher, a parent or another adult.     • Keep speaking up until someone listens.     • Don't blame yourself for what happened. For parents     • Talk to your child.     • Watch for physical and emotional signs of bullying that include bruises, torn clothing, mood changes, loss of appetite, unwillingness to go to school.     • Let your child know it was not his fault.     • Keep detailed notes.     • Contact school officials, the parents of the bully and the police, if all else fails.     More information at the NEA Web site, www.nea.org

        That life is in a shambles.

        He's lost his job, he's lost his home, he's been in jail four months already, and the boys he fought to gain custody of in 1996 are back with his ex-wife.

        In an interview with The Enquirer in jail, Mr. Fletcher said he fears he'll lose them for good.

        All because of Nov. 6.
       

Was gun real or fake?

        Details of the incident in the Lebanon police report are chilling.

        Two of six boys at the stop that day told police that Mr. Fletcher got out of his pickup truck at the Franklin Road bus stop at 6:40 a.m., threw a baseball bat to Ian, then pulled a handgun from his waistband.

        “Mr. Fletcher pulled the slide back on the pistol, which chambers a round if loaded, and pointed the weapon at the group of boys,” Lebanon Officer Chris Brock wrote in his report.

        “Mr. Fletcher stated, "If you get my son suspended, I will pull the trigger.'”

        The gun is central to Mr. Fletcher's defense.

        He claims it was a toy, disputing authorities' claim that he meant to seriously harm the boys with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors have to prove that to win a conviction, yet police did not recover a gun — real or fake.

        Defense lawyer Konrad Kircher said he wants jurors to understand that Mr. Fletcher was trying to protect his son.

        “The public perception is that this is some type of psycho,” Mr. Kircher said. “He's not.”
       

Escalation

        It started in early October, Mr. Fletcher said, the day he forgot his cell phone when he left for work at an exterminating company.

        Driving back up Franklin Road to his apartment to retrieve it, he found Ian walking in the direction of Berry Middle School.

        The secret the boy had kept from his father for two weeks was shattered.

        “He was upset. He was crying when I found him,” Mr. Fletcher said. “He said they had been chasing him from the bus stop every day for two weeks.”

        An older brother was at the bus stop when it happened, but didn't tell anyone and didn't intervene, said Mr. Fletcher, who never did get an explanation why.

        Mr. Fletcher drove Ian to school that day and complained to an assistant principal who assured he would handle it.

        “He said he gave them a firm talking to and it wouldn't happen anymore,” Mr. Fletcher recalled his follow-up with Assistant Principal Steve Skurow.

        But things weren't getting any better, Mr. Fletcher said. Instead, Ian was being disciplined at school for apparently lashing out at the boys who were bullying him.

        Soon after Mr. Fletcher first approached school officials, Ian received a one-day in-school suspension after a bus driver reported that he had swung a construction barrel at the bus stop and ran to the bus before it had stopped, Mr. Kircher said.

        “It was pretty clear to me that he was being harassed by these kids, trying to defend himself. He sees the bus, and he sees security,” Mr. Kircher said.

        Mr. Fletcher said he tried to handle the matter calmly, and even approached the boys at the bus stop in late October to warn them not to harass Ian anymore.

        “One kid jumped up in my face and threatened to kick my ... ,” Mr. Fletcher said.

        In early November, Ian received another in-school suspension — this time for three days. Mr. Fletcher said his son was accused of swearing and pushing a boy's head up against a window in the bus.

        “I told him you have to take the punishment because you broke the school's rule. But I'll see what I can do about getting this stopped,” Mr. Fletcher said.

        On his lawyer's advice, he wouldn't talk about why he went to the bus stop Nov. 6, or provide a detailed account of what happened there.

        But police records show that Mr. Fletcher was upset enough to stop by their station minutes after the incident. He asked to file a complaint about the bullying because he “was not satisfied” with the way the school had handled the problem.

        Officer Brock told him he could file charges against the boys. Instead, Mr. Fletcher suggested they meet at the school so they could talk it out with Mr. Skurow.

        When they arrived, Mr. Fletcher excused himself, saying he had a meeting, but pointed out Mr. Skurow to Officer Brock.

        About the same time, the buses began arriving and the driver on Bus 12 reported the gun incident. Mr. Fletcher was arrested off campus shortly after.

        The families of the boys who were at the bus stop that day either could not be reached for this story or declined comment.

        Two of Mr. Fletcher's sons, who are subpoenaed to testify in defense of their father and also are on a witness list for the prosecutors, were not available. They live with their mother in West Chester.

        Mr. Fletcher, who has lived in Lebanon for 11 years, knows his life can never be the same.

        “Even if I'm found not guilty,” he said, “I can't stay here in town.”
       

Area families of victims savor moments
Gun at the bus stop: Dad on trial
Police back to walking Over-the-Rhine streets
Racetrack fans favor electronic gambling
Tristate blown away by cold front
Churches focus on AIDS among African-Americans
Donation to GOP challenged
Minority labor shortage likely
Sinn Fein president visits N. Ky. cathedral
Tristate A.M. Report
BRONSON: Three myths
CROWLEY: Kentucky Politics
HOWARD: Some Good News
PULFER: Victim's mom:
SMITH AMOS: Racial gaps
FBI looking for heist clues
Evolution foes target Ohio
Battle site targeted for preservation
Kenton sends tax refunds, slowly
UK honors Loretta Lynn