NEWS: Advice: Do Not Write Zombie Fiction in Kentucky!

CULTURE: Advice: Do Not Write Zombie Fiction in Kentucky!

William Poole, 18, was arrested on February 22nd by the state of Kentucky for making terrorist threats. His crime? He wrote a zombie story.

Apparently, in Kentucky writing a short story where zombies attack a high school is a felony charge. This despite the fact that :
A: The story wasn't based on his school.
B: The story didn't feature any real people, students, faculty, police or otherwise.
C: It's a freakin story about ZOMBIES! What was the kid going to do? Raise a legion of undead to get revenge on the bullies who pushed him around?
Our erstwhile sheriff explains things:

So word to the wise, if you're in Kentucky, do not write zombie fiction. Especially if it involves a school or a school function.

... oh my i hate people

FINALLY some justice in the news.

Well, I have to hand it to Kentucky....it's about time that zombies felt a Zero Tolerance policy. DIE ZOMBIES!

Isn't there some constitutional amendment relating to this? One of the early ones, I believe.

i'd hate my grandparents if they did that.

2 thoughts:

1. Oh to be a cynical defense attorney in Louisville...
2. Thank you Kentucky, while the world may never forget Tennesse's ignorance and lack of irony in the famous Scopes Monkey trial; I will certainly never forget the your own illustrious Zombie trial that also seeks to condemn free citizens in the guise of "protecting the children".

so when they show "the Faculty" is on tv on cable in Kentucky does everyone who watches it get arrested? Granted those weren't Zombies but Aliens its relatively the same thing. What about Buffy the Vampire slayer? Do they show that in Kentucky? Again those are Vampires...is that a technicality in Kentucky? Did they invent the television in Kentucky yet? I'm sorry I'm asking a lot of questions aren't I?

Thank god I live in PA where.......ah who am I kidding....

[Edited on Feb 28, 2005 8:23PM]

This is some kind of joke right? Like a publicity stunt for 28 More Days Later or something?

that is ridiculous!!!!

I can see the Onion Headline now:
"Kentucky Police safe from Zombies because of lack of Brains"
oh, and his GRANDPARENTS turned him in?


[Edited on Feb 28, 2005 7:33PM]

Some things are just too retarded for words. Sadly, this was probably a semi-normal kid who will more than likely become bitter at the world because of this bs. I could totally see him being found guilty too, some people in this country are that fucking stupid.

Maybe they really do have reason to fear zombies in Kentucky, as apparently their entire police department is brain-dead.

I dunno I mean how much more publicity for a story could you get. I bet the story he wrote wasn't that impressive but now I totally want to read it. All he needs to do is go out of state to get it published as the edgy new thing everyone will flock to it either to condemn it as trash or just because zombies are freaking awesome. Either way he should be able to get some serious dough off of that. And maybe next story the zombies can get his grandparents

dead alive you mean

GOOD LORD!!! WHERE WAS THIS SEVERITY INVOLVING TERRORISM WHEN TIMOTHY MCVEIGH BLEW UP THE OKLAHOMA CITY FEDERAL BUILDING!?!?! OR WHEN ALL THOSE DOUCHE BAGS SHOT UP THEIR SCHOOLS?!?!? our country needs to get its priorities straight. fucking zombies... this is absurd.

Sounds like a case for Scooby Doo!!

Only in my state, man I'm afraid to finish the zombie movie I am working on, cause if they arrested someone for writing about imagine what could happen to me for showing it. God this state is full of idiots.

So is the rest of the world my friend. I livein Texas for pete's sake...

Well, first off this wasn't just his "pet project". the article says that the kid claims it was written for english class. While the grandparents may be overreacting, it's still a story about death, killing, and the setting is a school.

What's on trial is the kid's intent of writing this. the DA contends that the intent was not simply to write fiction but to somehow plan a terrorist attack. While that's not the case, (zombie horror and terrorism are distinctly different) this kid is in jail right now because someone else interpreted his story that way.

I assume he lived with his grandparents. Even the most conservative, paranoid grandparents would get his side first before handing his homework over to the police. His grandparents obviously hate him.

First off where is the actual story? Did they post it? You do realize that the grandparents (like most parental figures) misinterpret the written word as being factual. While this is extreme and I don't understand how someone believes that the living dead is actually some for of terroristic threat. I guess it has to deal with the fact that Winchester is a backwards town. All of my friends from there move out of it as soon as they reach the age of 18. Winchester is an anomaly and does not represent the entire state. I live in Kentucky and yes we do have some completly retarded things here but that really is an isolated incident. I do find it sad that they would stunt the intellectual growth of a young person that way. It is truly tragic.


[Edited on Feb 28, 2005 9:13PM]

This is fucking bullshit. My best friend did time on this exact same charge. Know what he did? He pointed a fake gun at someone. How the fuck is writing a story illegal?

Lest we forget that the written word is protected under federal law, ESPECIALLY genre fiction, which overrides all state/city/county laws.

hahahahhaaahahahahaahhahaahhaahaaha........



.....seriously, though, someone hire this poor kid a lawyer....

that's --- f'n incredible...

I think that would be a felony in California too.

They would count every person in the school and police force. And make each one a count against him.