Mom Finds School Threat on Son's Phone, Makes Decision To Turn Him & Calls 911
A South Carolina mother has chosen to exercise some tough love after finding out what her 17-year-old son was posting on social media.
Kristy Kempster, from Laurens County, now has a message for her son — and a message for other parents facing a similar dilemma.
On May 3, the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office arrested 17-year-old Damon Kempster after his family called the cops and turned him in.
Damon posted a school threat on social media, and tagged approximately 50 of his peers, including his mother.
Police charged the teenager with breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature. His parents are letting their son sit in jail while he waits for his June court date, hoping it will teach him a lesson.
“He was going to shoot up a school,” Kempster told WHNS-TV. “It didn’t say a specific school, but at the end of the day it said what it said, regardless of if he meant to say it or not.”
Kempster is distraught over the whole situation, but believes she did the right thing by turning her son over to police. “It breaks my heart, but it’s what you have to do as a parent,” she expressed.
Kempster said her son has struggled with mental health his entire life. At age four, he saw his first psychiatrist.
“We’ve run the gamut of mental health diagnosis, the gamut of medications to help treat,” Kempster explained. “We’ve seen numerous counselors, we’ve been in numerous placements.”
Regardless of his mental health status, Kempster wants her son to understand his actions will still have consequences. She doesn’t believe Damon can use the excuse of mental illness to justify poor choices.
“He can’t use his disability as a crutch,” Kempster stated. “He can’t use it as a scapegoat. I’ve always taught him that doesn’t make him who he is.”
Kempster knows she’s not alone in the struggle of parenting a teen with mental illness. She hopes Damon’s story will raise awareness for mental health and help parents feel less isolated.
In a television interview with WSPA 7News, Kempster encouraged parents not to give up on their teenagers. “You just have to keep fighting because no one is going to fight and advocate for your kids like you are,” she said.
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