Police Entrap Autistic Teenager in Drug Sting

An autistic teenager in Temecula, California, was caught
up in an undercover drug sting in August 2012. Jesse Snodgrass, new
to high school and looking to make friends, unwittingly befriended
an undercover police officer who relentlessly pressured him to buy
pot. 

Rolling Stone features
Jesse’s story in its March 2014 issue, but Reason TV had it
first. Check out Reason TV’s documentary on Jesse, orginally
posted on October 9, 2013:

“We felt like our family was totally violated by the
sheriff’s department and the school district,” said Doug and
Catherine Snodgrass of Temecula, California. Last December, their
17-year-old autistic son was arrested after twice buying marijuana
from an undercover Riverside county police officer at his high
school. 

The undercover operation, titled “Operation
Glass House,” spanned a few months and included undercover
officers in three area high schools: Chaparral, Temecula Valley,
and Rancho Vista Continuation. The officers posed as regular high
school students and would ask other students for drugs. Twenty-two
students were arrested—the majority of them are reported to be
special needs students like the Snodgrass’ son. Their son, who
wished to remain unnamed, is noticeably handicapped and has been
diagnosed with autism as well as bipolar disorder, Tourettes, and
several anxiety disorders.

“Everyday is a challenge for him,” says his
father.

Their son’s list of disabilities have many in the
community wondering why he was targeted in this undercover drug
operation. The ordeal began on the first day of school
last fall. The family had just moved to a new neighborhood and
their son began his senior year at a new school, Chaparral High, in
the Temecula
Valley Unified School District. Their son rarely
socialized, so his mom was thrilled when he announced that he had
made a new friend in art class on the first day of
school. 

“We were so excited. I told him he should ask his
friend to come over for pizza and play video games,” says Catherine
Snodgrass, “but his new friend always had an excuse.”

His new friend, who went under the name of Daniel
Briggs, was known as “Deputy Dan” to many students because it was
so apparent to them that he was an undercover officer. However, to
their son, whose disabilities make it hard for him to gauge social
cues, Dan was his only real friend. 

Dan reportedly sent 60 text messages to their son
begging for drugs. According to his parents, the pressure to
buy drugs was too much for the autistic teen who began physically
harming himself. 

The Snodgrass’ son finally agreed to buy Dan the
pot. Dan gave him $20 and it took him three weeks to buy a half
joint of pot off a homeless man downtown. This happened twice. When
Dan asked a third time, their son refused and Dan cut off all
communication. 

“Our son was pretty broken up about that and he was
back to having zero friends,” says Doug
Snodgrass. 

On December
11, 2012, armed police officers walked into their son’s
classroom and arrested him in front of his peers. He was taken to
the juvenile detention center, along with the 21 other arrestees,
where he was kept for 48 hours. First hand reports claim that the
juvenile center was caught off guard by the large number of arrests
and that some youths had to sleep on the floor, using toilet paper
as pillows. 

Their son was also expelled from high
school.

The Snodgrass’ hired a private attorney and took their
case to court. In January, their son was found not guilty due
to extenuating circumstances. The judge had him undergo
informal probation and perform 20 hours of community
service. 

In March, an administrative judge
ordered their son to be reinstated into school stating
that the district had left their son “anxious and alone” to defend
for himself against an undercover police
officer. 

The school district is currently appealing this judge’s
ruling, stating that their son was cognitive enough to know right
from wrong. The school district has a “zero tolerance” policy when
it comes to drugs. 

The Snodgrass’ son was unable to graduate with his
class last spring but is expected to graduate in December 2013. By
the time the school district’s appeal goes through, their son would
have already graduated. The Snodgrass’ say this is a waste of
taxpayer money. The Temecula Valley Unified School District
declined to comment.

The family is suing the school district for unspecified
damages. The lawsuit will be filed on October 30,
2013. 

“This has been devastating to our family. It’s a real
drain on our resources emotionally, financially, physically,” says
Doug Snodgrass. ”It’s exhausting, but when your child gets
harmed like this, you really don’t think twice about it. It’s not a
matter of getting even. He is messed up by this and what happened
is wrong. We feel an obligation to restore him in every way
possible.” 

Their son was the only arrestee to be reinstated in
school, largely thanks to his parents’ perseverance and their
financial ability to take their fight to court. The other special
needs students arrested remained expelled and at least one served a
year in jail. 

Doug and Catherine’s son is currently being treated for
post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by the ordeal. The
Snodgrass’ have set up a fundraising
campaign for their legal expenses. 

The Riverside County Sheriff’s department and Special
Investigations Bureau did not return several requests for an
interview. The Riverside District Attorney’s office declined to
comment.

About 7 minutes.

Produced by Amanda Winkler. Camera by Winkler and
Sharif Matar. Narration by Todd Krainin.