A week after he declared victory in his ACLU-supported fight with high school administrators over his controversial yearbook photo, an Amador High senior apparently was arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs.
Kenton Koos, 18, was arrested Saturday at 9:22 p.m. at the Bernal Community Park on Pleasanton Avenue, according to the Pleasanton Police Department.
Officers responded to the park, which was closed, and because someone reported smelling the odor of marijuana.
Amador Valley High School officials relented to Koos last week, agreeing to allow in the yearbook the submitted senior photo of him sporting a faux facial tattoo, nose ring and green hair.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California said the school's orginal ban on the senior portrait violated Koos' rights to free speech in the state's education code.
Koos, an independent-study student, said in an interview that the photo get-up is not his usual look and he "wanted to do something fun."
Koos' arraignment is scheduled for Monday at the Gale-Schenone Hall of Justice, Pleasanton, according to court records.
In other area police news:
Saturday, Dec. 8
- Domestic battery reported 10:37 p.m. on 7000 Johnson Drive.
- Vandalism logged 9:23 a.m. along 4900 Pleasanton Avenue.
- Warrant arrest of female made 8:23 a.m. on the 5100 block of Hopyard Road.
- Male arrested for suspected driving under the influence 1:15 a.m. on the 5400 block of Blackbird Drive.
- Male, 18, arrested 9:22 p.m. for suspected marijuana/hashish possession on the 7000 block of Pleasanton Avenue.
Friday, Dec. 7
- Vehicle reported stolen 12:16 p.m. on 4300 Rosewood Drive.
- Death investigated 5:42 p.m. along 300 Rose Avenue.
- Fraud thefts reported 3:35 p.m. on 4000 Nevis Street, and on 1700 Santa Rita Road at 4:33 p.m.
- DUI arrest of female 12:39 a.m. Valley Avenue at Blackbird Drive.
- Thefts: 6:49 p.m. on 4400 Hacienda Drive; 5:31 p.m. on 5000 Hopyard Road.
- Drug "take-back" program sued.
Thursday, Dec. 6
- Vehicle reported stolen 12:28 p.m. on 4800 Bernal Avenue.
- Deaths investigated 7:44 a.m. along 2700 Willowren Way, 3:22 p.m. on the 3400 block of Stacey Court.
- Warrant arrest of male, 9:37 p.m. along 3200 Flemington Court.
- Thefts: 3:17 p.m. on 5500 West Las Positas Boulevard; 12:21 p.m. on 4300 Foothill Road; 2:25 p.m. on 5900 Stoneridge Mall Road.
- Fraud reported 9:25 a.m. on the 7500 block of Maywood Drive.
Wednesday Dec. 5
- Male arrested 7:16 p.m. for alleged domestic assault and damaging phone lines on the 4000 block of Vineyard Avenue.
- Female arrested 9:56 p.m. for domestic battery along 4400 Valley Avenue.
- Residential burglaries reported 10:22 a.m. and 11:13 a.m. along 3400 Andrews Drive.
- Bicycle theft on 3600 Andrews Drive logged 3:12 p.m.
- Car break-ins reported 11:29 a.m. on 4000 Page Court, and 9:45 a.m. on 800 Bonita Avenue.
- Female reported $2,400 fraud theft 1:18 p.m. on the 6700 block of Bernal Avenue.
- Warrant arrest 7:28 p.m. 4600 Denker Drive.
- Male arrested 10:46 p.m. for alleged possession and use of controlled substances on 3700 Hopyard Road.
- Missing person case filed 8:30 p.m. on the 4600 block of Balfour Road.
- Morning collision eastbound I-580; big-rig slides down mountainside.
- Thefts: 11:24 a.m. on 3700 Gettysburg Court; 6:19 p.m. on 1200 Stoneridge Mall Road.
Tuesday, Dec. 4
- Missing-person case filed midnight on 1500 Stoneridge Mall Road.
- Graffiti/vandalism logged 4:44 p.m. on Holly Circle at Kamp Drive, and 11:08 a.m. 6200 Stoneridge Mall Road.
- Assault reported 12:41 p.m. on the 400 block of Main Street.
- Car break-in 7:17 p.m. on 5100 Hopyard Road.
- Warrants served: 7:08 p.m. Owens Drive and West Las Positas Boulevard; 9:26 p.m. 3000 Bernal Avenue.
- Fraud reports filed: 12:41 p.m. along 5500 Springhouse Drive, and 10:07 a.m. on 4300 Valley Avenue.
Monday, Dec. 3
- Vehicle reported stolen, gold 1998 Saturn, 5:30 p.m. on 6100 Stoneridge Mall Road
- Vandalism/graffiti: 7:31 a.m. on 400 Adams Way; 8:42 a.m. on 7300 Johnson Drive; 12:34 p.m. on the 600 block of Junipero Street.
- Burglaries logged 8:12 a.m. on 3900 Stoneridge Drive, and along 4000 Payne Road 11:49 a.m., a residential break-in with jewelry taken.
- Car break-ins: 7:26 a.m. on 7500 Ivy Court; 7:18 a.m. on 7600 Canyon Meadows Circle.
- Thefts logged: 6:55 p.m. on 2300 Stoneridge Mall Road; 4:17 p.m. along 3000 Staples Ranch Drive.
- Male and female arrested for alleged theft and warrants 7:58 p.m. 1500 Stoneridge Mall Road.
- DUI arrest, male, 9:44 p.m. on Tassajara Road at Dublin Boulevard.
- Former BART officer and wife dead in North Carolina suspected murder-suicide.
- Male arrested 11:18 p.m. on 4500 Rosewood Drive for suspected kidnapping, criminal threats, resisting police, possession of methamphetamines, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and metal knuckles.
- I-580 police chase 3:20 a.m.; CHP flips patrol car.
Sunday, Dec. 2
- Property destruction logged 3 p.m. on 3000 Tonapah Circle.
- Burglary reported 3:47 a.m. at Radio Shack, 4500 Rosewood Drive; five sets of headphones and $271 from the cash register listed missing.
- Drunk-and-disorderly arrests 9:37 a.m. on West Las Positas Boulevard at Muirwood Drive, and 2:38 p.m. along 5500 West Las Positas.
- Warrant served to male 7:50 p.m. along 3800 Vineyard Avenue.
- Battery reported on the 3500 block of Touriga Drive 7:11 p.m.
- Male arrested for suspected assault 3:24 p.m. on the 4200 block of Rosewood Drive.
Guilty. I've raised two in this community and lived here over 30 years. I even graduated from Pleasanton PUSD myself and so did six other members of my family. I'm happy to report that neither of my kids have been arrested and don't drink or do drugs. They also have been taught that no image, post or electronic communication is temporary and have not electronically transmitted the nude images the student in here talks about that he claims are so frequent. When mine got off course, I didn't fear parenting and imposing penalties so there was a clear understanding of the consequences for making poor choices. I've got one three years into a law degree and another on the honor roll so I must be doing something right. Perhaps you should be more concerned about the spoiled brats acting like this with parents supporting the behavior including drug use and the sexting images the law considers child pornography. Do you actually support this sort of behavior? Are you a parent yourself? Let's revisit this in a year or two and see what else this kid gets in trouble for. I think the statistics support that he's probably done more than what he was busted for. I will gladly admit if I end up being wrong, but I think this is only the beginning in this case as the student on here confirmed what we parents know in that he is part of a group of kids often up to no good.
I'm not super concerned about what his mother thinks of my opinion and would hope she would be more concerned about parenting her son than worrying about what I think. Let's hope this kid gets the guidance he needs before he drives high or under the influence of something else and kills himself or someone else. One only needs to drive down foothill road to see the devastating outcome of our young making poor choices. RIP Laurel.
My opinion is not based on the photo, although I was not surprised when I found out the photo in question was of Kenton based on what I know.
This kid inserted himself in our lives when he made a decision to take the photo thing to the public (which he abdolutely chise to do) because as he said, he had a desire to "test the school's limits". He also went to the ACLU which, had the school not caved, would have meant massive legal fees at the expense of the education of the other kids in this city. He doesn't even attend regular classes at Amador. Now other Amador students, including mine, will own expensive yearbooks with this "test the limits" statement photo in it. It's my view that he wanted attention, but only on his terms. If anything, I hope he's learned that getting attention as he did has a downside to it.
You aren't doing this kid any favors with your posts. This appears to be a felony charge which is nothing to make light of. This could truly haunt him for a very long time and could reduce his higher education and employment/career options. Most employers won't consider hiring a convicted felon no matter what the charges are for. If he pursues a career path that requires a professional license, he will find that a felony conviction will mean he doesn't qualify for most. The university my daughter attends will not accept convicted felons either. Let's hope he gets into a diversion program with regular drug testing and he can plead down the charge so he has the chance to get his act together. If this is his first arrest and since its not a violent crime and not trafficking or something like it, in my opinion he deserves a shot at getting it together before he is given the "convicted felon" label. This is serious stuff and not something that any of us say will matter when he's faced with the legal process and fallout from it.
Honestly though if you read the book you will have an entirely new point of view of drug users and their view of the public looking at them! Hope this helps!
P. J. O'Rourke I think P.J. was talking about Pleasanton Mom.
Please stop calling him a "punk." This is someone's child. Yes, some of his comments were a little arrogant, but I sure am glad there was no Internet when I was eighteen...so my comments weren't saved for posterity! And let's not be too quick to judge his parents. You sound like you have been through the ups and downs of raising a teenager, as have I...it is not easy, for us or for them. We don't know what other issues the family is facing (and we all have them). In spite of the yearbook photo, in spite of the reported drug bust, this seems like an interesting kid who is looking for a little direction. I for one hope he finds it.
By the way, since you've created Uet another new alias, this time as "housewife", a term you've thrown around above under different aliases, perhaps you can share with us exactly what a "housewife" is and does.
He can take himself out of the spotlight by backing off on the yearbook issue at which time many if us will likely discontinue following this case concluding he looks to have learned the downside of his need for attention. Yeah, it's definitely not my fault that he had hash to the extent he was charged with a FELONY. He's far from the victim he is being made out to be. I feel compassion for those deserving of it and who aren't attention seeking delinquents like what I see here and with the vomit being posted by his friends.
I have a feeling this is what Mr. Sira asked him to do when he kept insisting on posting a photo where he was dressed in costume mocking others' religious and cultural practices . So when the school asked that he submit a different photo, he responded by going to the ACLU and media, yet now there's a suggestion we should extend to him what he wasn't willing to offer the AVHS community.