Update: Officials Still Silent About Mandatory Psych Eval for Teacher

I
reported earlier that Dorchester County, Maryland, police
brought a public school teacher in for a mandatory psychological
evaluation. This was seemingly prompted by officials’ discovery of
his fiction novels, published under a pseudonym, which depict a
mass shooting at a school. The book in question is obviously
science fiction and is set in the year 2902.

So far, the police investigation has turned up nothing—no
weapons hidden at his school, Mace’s Lane Middle School, nor at his
home. Still, the teacher—identified as 23-year-old Patrick McLaw—is
suspended from teaching and barred from school property. None of
the local reporting on this story suggests that he is actually
under arrest, however. McLaw has not spoken out about what’s
happening; it’s not even clear where he is being held.

I emailed Dr. Henry Wagner, superintendent of Dorchester County
Public Schools. He sympathized with press confusion over the McLaw
situation, but said that he couldn’t comment beyond what was
already reported.

“Mr. McLaw has rights as an employee that I cannot further
discuss this personnel matter,” Wagner told Reason.

I also called two agencies involved in the investigation: the
Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and the Wicomico County State’s
Attorney. Neither were immediately available for comment on the
case.

Weird, huh?