Deja Taylor Had One Job: Stay Clean and Sober

by Kerry Dougherty

Good grief, lady. You had ONE job.

Just one.

Your assignment was to stay clean and sober for four months, but apparently Deja Taylor – the mother of the 6-year-old Newport News first grader who shot his teacher with his mother’s gun – couldn’t do that.

After pleading guilty in June to charges that she lied about being an illegal drug user on federal firearm forms and for unlawful use of a controlled substance while possessing a gun, Taylor tested positive for pot in July. Wait. There’s more. On August 26, according to WAVY-TV 10, she had cocaine and marijuana in her system. Both drug tests are awaiting confirmation.

Taylor also failed to take part in substance abuse treatment that was mandated by the court and she didn’t show up for scheduled drug tests, according to court documents.

Exasperated prosecutors asked the judge to revoke Taylor’s bond, which should have kept her out of prison until her sentencing in October.

“These violations are serious in nature,” the court document states. “Had these violations been supervised release violations after a conviction, (U.S. code) would require the Court to revoke the defendant’s supervision and impose a term of imprisonment for possessing a controlled substance and refusing to comply with drug testing.

Geez. And just as some of us were feeling a little sorry for her.

Let me explain. The federal gun charges that Taylor pleaded guilty to are exactly the same ones that the spoiled crackhead son of Joe Biden is facing. In Hunter’s case, federal prosecutors attempted to toss him into a “diversion” program where he could escape without a criminal record. Sort of like what they might do for a teenager so a kid’s life wouldn’t be ruined with a felony conviction.

Except Biden isn’t a teenager. He’s 53. Oh, and his rabidly anti-gun father helped craft the law he violated.

One of the ironies of this affair is the origin of the hand gun permitting protocol Hunter Biden admits to violating, reports The Hill. It was part of a wave of crime prevention legislation championed by his father as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee 30 years ago.

First proposed in Congress in 1987, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was enacted on Nov. 30, 1993 as an amendment to the original federal Gun Control Act of 1968 . One of the key Senate sponsors was Judiciary Chair Joe Biden, seen in that era as a tough-on-crime moderate Democrat.

By contrast, the poor, black 26-year-old single Virginia mom was facing a likely sentence of 18 months in a federal prison when she was due back in court next month.

These two cases serve as a textbook example of America’s two-tiered system of justice.

Unfortunately, it appears that Taylor queered the terms of her release and perhaps jeopardized her shot at leniency from the court with her continued abuse of illegal drugs.

Hunter Biden, too, is subject to random drugs testing by authorities. There are no reports of any drug tests on the president’s son, however, who has been in and out of rehab in the past.

Taylor’s attorney issued the following statement:

Like so many Americans, my client Ms. Deja Taylor has serious substance abuse issues that are exacerbated by mental health issues. We would ask for compassion and understanding at this critical time in her life. As always, we hope for a continued speedy recovery for Ms. Abigail Zwerner.

Abby Zwerner’s recovery from a gunshot wound to her hand and chest has been anything but speedy. Recent reports indicated she has undergone multiple surgeries and was struggling to regain the use of her injured hand.

On top of that, the first grade teacher is battling a school district that is unwilling to justly compensate her for what happened at the hands of a kid with a history of extreme violence. Instead, Newport News factotums are hiding behind Virginia’s workers’ compensation rules.

Zwerner has sued the schools for $40 million dollars.

I hope she gets every penny.

Republished with permission from Kerry: Unemployed and Unedited.


Share this article



ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)



ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)


Comments

65 responses to “Deja Taylor Had One Job: Stay Clean and Sober”

  1. how_it_works Avatar
    how_it_works

    Gee, I wonder if that kid is messed up because of the drugs Mommy was using while she was pregnant with him….

    1. killerhertz Avatar
      killerhertz

      Probably doesn’t help there’s no daddy in the picture

      1. how_it_works Avatar
        how_it_works

        One probably doesn’t make the best choice of the potential father for her future child while stoned, drunk, or high.

        1. This is from back in June, but it illustrates what an awful start to his life this poor kid was given.

          https://www.wavy.com/news/investigative/court-docs-father-of-richneck-shooter-assaulted-two-women-including-boys-mother/

          As article I saw last month said he was living with his grandfather, who was bringing some stability and discipline into his life. He was back in school (not NN schools) and was doing okay. I hope he finds a permanent home with people who love him – away from both his biological parents.

        2. This is from back in June, but it illustrates what an awful start to his life this poor kid was given.

          https://www.wavy.com/news/investigative/court-docs-father-of-richneck-shooter-assaulted-two-women-including-boys-mother/

          An article I saw last month said he was living with his grandfather, who was bringing some stability and discipline into his life. He was back in school (not NN public schools) and was doing okay. I hope he finds a permanent home with people who love him – away from both his biological parents.

          1. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            “He pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection to the stop.”

            Inquiring minds want to know what felony he was convicted of.

          2. Geez, that report you linked relays a bizarre string of behaviors. No wonder the little boy was so angry and violent. He was modeling the behavior and abuse he’d been repeatedly exposed to.

        3. Not Today Avatar

          You have nothing on which to base the idea that her substance abuse issues preceded the child’s conception or birth. Stay classy.

        4. Not Today Avatar

          You have nothing on which to base the idea that her substance abuse issues preceded the child’s conception or birth. Stay classy.

        5. Not Today Avatar

          You have nothing on which to base the idea that her substance abuse issues preceded the child’s conception or birth. Stay classy.

          1. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            No, I don’t, other than that substance abuse problems usually start when one is in their teens.

      2. LarrytheG Avatar

        I know this is considered conventional wisdom but Europe has just as high an incidence of kids without “official” dads (marriage) but not the carnage we see.

    2. And her drug addled behaviors in the 6 years after he was born, It’s a twofer, a 3fer with dad too. The kid was screwed from the get go and the rest of us are collateral damage.

  2. DJRippert Avatar

    I am usually a critic of government – especially its cost / benefit.

    However, in this case – what should the school system have done?

    Whoever would expect that a 6 year old would bring a gun to school and shoot his teacher?

    If the school system would have put metal detectors up at elementary schools there would have been an outcry about unnecessary spending.

    It seems the real culprit here is the court system. It sounds like Deja Taylor violated the terms of her release and the courts didn’t act. No warrant to search her home for the handgun. No taking the child out of her custody.

    But the courts are immune.

    The same court system that allows a clumsy McDonald’s customer to sue McDonald’s for serving hot coffee can’t themselves be sued when they are negligent.

    Kind of like the long sentences handed out to unarmed hooligans who trespassed on Congress on January 6 but much less severe penalties for those who maimed and killed during the George Floyd riots.

    Two systems of justice – one to protect the elite and another to protect ordinary citizens.

    Huckabee was bombastic when he claimed that future elections could be settled by bullets instead of ballots but he’s not completely off his rocker.

    Once people come to believe that the justice system is consistently unfair in favor of the few (i.e. elites) there can be serious problems.

    The real culprits in this Deja Taylor case are the courts, not the schools.

    1. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
      James Wyatt Whitehead

      The failure of our institutions to simply discharge their duties has unleashed cascading collateral damage that will never heal.

    2. The school failed to remove the child from the building when his [required] escort/monitor did not show up to be with him in the classroom. I do not know whether it was the teacher who should have enforced that condition or a higher-level administrator, but somebody screwed up.

    3. The school failed to remove the child from the building when his [required] escort/monitor did not show up to be with him in the classroom. I do not know whether it was the teacher who should have enforced that condition or a higher-level administrator, but somebody screwed up.

      1. DJRippert Avatar

        Fair point. Although, if the kid already had the gun when they tried to remove him …

    4. The real culprits in this Deja Taylor case are the courts, not the schools.

      The real culprits are Deja Taylor and the boy’s father.

      1. DJRippert Avatar

        That’s true. But the teacher isn’t suing the parents, she is suing the school.

      2. Not Today Avatar

        If so, this isn’t the only parent who should be in jail. Every.single.one of these adults should be in jail too. They’re not. Our systems are failing people and families.
        https://www.cbsnews.com/news/children-fire-guns-toddlers-unintentional-shootings/

        1. I was not even referring to the parents’ stupidity regarding gun storage, but you make a valid point.

          Gun ownership comes with great responsibility. If one is not willing to do what it takes to keep one’s guns out of the hands of unsupervised children, then one should not be a gun owner.

    5. LarrytheG Avatar

      two systems of justice:

      “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?” Trump remarked at a campaign stop at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. “It’s, like, incredible.”

      and he was right, some right here in BR said they voted for him! And other laws also seem to have been abused!

      but I do digress…. 😉

      We’ve had the two tiers for some time.

      Money is what often determines the level and quality of legal ability one has or not.

      But in this case, the schools well knew of the problem and it’s potential… IMO and they failed to act and this is the type of issue at more than a few public schools these days.

      They have to have metal detectors and on-site police… the schools reflect our society AND our system of who can get weapons legally or even illegally because the supposed safeguards are not exercised/enforced. We agree AFTER the fact the offender should not have had a gun in theory!

  3. StarboardLift Avatar
    StarboardLift

    Blame is laid everywhere but at the feet of parents. We have normalized abandonment of parental duty to the point that no one finds the atrocious details around this child’s history surprising. We no longer expect parents to provide the most primordial need of offspring, food/shelter/clothing. Birds do a better job.

    1. how_it_works Avatar
      how_it_works

      I’ll blame the parents. What happened here should come as no surprise–it’s what happens when drug addicts become parents.

      1. DJRippert Avatar

        Maybe Navy Biden is better off being ignored by Hunter, et al.

      2. Not Today Avatar

        Yep, all over rural VA/snarc off.

        1. how_it_works Avatar
          how_it_works

          All over suburban and urban VA, too.

  4. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    It sucks to be her. It REALLY sucks to be her kid. And the way everybody is enjoying the show, enjoying the feelings of superiority and self-righteousness they get looking over the carnage, borders on nauseating. That which you do unto the least among you….

    1. LarrytheG Avatar

      no, it REALLY REALLY sucks to be the person that got shot!

      1. Stephen Haner Avatar
        Stephen Haner

        Better it happened now before the kid got bigger and had better aim. All indications are everybody knew well in advance this kid was going to hurt somebody. Like every “weekend of death” in a city like Chicago, this is all the same issue and the same warning of rot in our society. Look at all the new restrictions on high school football games!

        The drug culture is a huge part of it. But actually stopping that will take more cojones than even right wing America can show. Too many are getting rich.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar

          re: football games.. you got it… and it ain’t the criminal justice system.. it’s “parents”, the same ones that are claimed to need to be “empowered” to straighten out their schools… geeze…

        2. I’m not sure if it’s a matter of cojones. Many in authority who are unable to deal with school violence are ruthless in pursuit of what they want. I think it has more to do with finding the courage to act outside of one’s ideological constraints.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar

            To be fair – how often does something like this happen in most public schools?

            Most public schools DO have responsible leadership who take their job seriously to keep the school, teachers and kids safe.

            This was a pretty rare thing.

            How many teachers have been shot in the 2000+ Virginia public schools over the last 10 yrs or so?

          2. To be fair, I think you proved my point. This child’s issues are clearly beyond the ability of the school’s policy manual. There were plenty of time and warnings, but no one had the courage to say, “This ain’t gonna work” and move outside the manual to protect everyone.

          3. LarrytheG Avatar

            I think the school leadership KNEW he was a problem and there WAS/IS guidance on what to do – the same guidance that other schools in the public school system do successfully follow because we know there are kids like this kid that need to be dealt with, and they never get to this point for this school.

            I think it would be grossly irresponsible to NOT have written policy guidance on how to proceed and just have an attitude of “nothing we can do” and we see other episodes like this one. It’s clearly incumbent on the schools to keep the school teachers and students safe and heads ought to roll if they fail in that responsibility.

            The leaders at that school failed in their responsibilities in my view, and they need to be held to account for it and it’s gonna cost taxpayers millions of dollars in the end.

          4. You’re doing a good job of answering the question you want to ask, but you are ignoring my question.
            To the points you raised: people should be accountable – but it rarely happens. School violence is not a rare occurence.
            Look at the school rapes in Loudoun county. The only reason we know about them is because one brave parent, whose daughter had been raped, defied the School Board and spoke out, and because a conservative news source wouldn’t drop the story; the liberal media was silent until forced to cover the story. The schools’ response to the rape was a cover-up, the arrest of the parent when they couldn’t silence him, and to enlist a willing co-conspirator in the person of USAG Garland. Now Gov Younkin has been forced to pardon the father of the victim after what can only be described as a malicious prosecution for speaking out to defend his daughter and ask for justice.
            You say, “it would be grossly irresponsible to NOT have written policy guidance on how to proceed and just have an attitude of “nothing we can do” “. But months after the fact, you don’t know if that is true – why not? Shouldn’t their policies be public? Students and teachers are NOT safe in the schools – period. That is a fact. If the agenda is not school safety, what is it? What is the overriding agenda that pushes school safety to the back row?
            You criticized charter schools, etc. for not having to accept all students, as though that was a bad thing. The real question is by what logic is it a good thing for public schools to have to keep students who shoot teachers? The charter schools are dealing with the reality that some students don’t belong in class with other students. Why do we force public schools to deny that reality and pretend that everyone belongs in the classroom?
            That’s my question – what is this agenda that overrides reality?

        3. DJRippert Avatar

          Who takes a six year old seriously when they say they are going to hurt or kill somebody?

          1. Maybe the classmate he showed the gun to and threatened who told the adults?

          2. LarrytheG Avatar

            Didn’t he already have a known “history” of threats?

        4. how_it_works Avatar
          how_it_works

          “The drug culture is a huge part of it.”

          I find it amusing when the claim is made that “Even CEOs smoke pot”…

          Of the people I know that smoke pot, ain’t a one of them anywhere close to being a CEO. They aren’t even professionals making a high 5-figure salary.

          1. DJRippert Avatar

            In states where it’s been legalized, I know a lot of rich and successful people who smoke pot.

          2. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            They’re probably not the type of people who’d smoke it in front of someone like me, either.

          3. DJRippert Avatar

            I’m not sure what “someone like me” means. They don’t flaunt their marijuana use any more than they flaunt their consumption of alcohol.

            But both marijuana and alcohol are perfectly legal in states like Maryland and Connecticut.

            Presumably, soon in Virginia too.

          4. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            Someone like me who doesn’t smoke anything and would rather not smell it. MJ smoke stinks and it’s kind of rude to smoke it in front of someone unless you know that someone is OK with it. Aside from the smell, I’d rather not breathe that crap. It’s at least as much of a problem as 2nd hand tobacco smoke.

          5. LarrytheG Avatar

            I have to agree with that. I don’t have a problem with folks who want to partake but I do have a problem if I’m getting their smoke in general no different than if it were cigarettes.

            It’s taken a long time to get most of the smokers to stop smoking where others do not want it… and even now, some of them would still do it if they could.. Just plain rude!

          6. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            If I had to choose between 2ndhand MJ smoke and 2ndhand tobacco smoke, I’d go with the tobacco smoke if only because it doesn’t stink as bad.

            I’d rather not smell/breathe either of them, though.

            There’s a guy on Youtube who restores old stuff like TVs and radios, and you can always tell when it was smoked around. There’s a residue on EVERYTHING and it’s quite nasty looking. In some cases it’s so thick you can scrape it off!

          7. LarrytheG Avatar

            my experience is that you can smell MJ much further away. I can often tell in a campground that someone is smoking it. I’m okay with it that way. You’re right about residue.. You can’t get it out of a car or a camper and you can tell instantly in a motel room.

        5. Not Today Avatar

          Srsly? Have you seen the carnage wrought by drugs in rural America? It’s WORSE than urban crime…they’re just killing themselves more often than others in their community. Either drugs are a health issue or they’re not. It can’t be a health issue in 2023 and a cultural failing in 1990. That doesn’t fly.

    2. Eric the half a troll Avatar
      Eric the half a troll

      Exactly! I guess only oxycontin addicted in SW VA are worthy of any sympathy or compassion. Of course, they are all just victims of illegal immigrants (for some reason…).

      1. LarrytheG Avatar

        I think you captured that thinking pretty good! SOMEONE has to BE at fault!

      2. how_it_works Avatar
        how_it_works

        I don’t have much sympathy or compassion for someone who thinks that getting SSI, Medicaid, and an opioid prescription is like winning the lottery.

        I know someone like that and about 90% of his problems, he created himself.

        If you ask him, though, 100% of his problems are someone else’s fault.

    3. StarboardLift Avatar
      StarboardLift

      And it REALLY REALLY sucks to be dealing with a child like this. If we cannot expect anything from mother Deja Taylor, what may we expect in the future from this boy who was SIX. YEARS. OLD?

      His biographical highlights, several achieved by age 5 include behavioral issues at school: cursing staff, trying to whip students with his belt, and choking a teacher; in 2021, the student allegedly came from behind his teacher, locked his forearms around her neck, and pulled her backward; he was subsequently moved to a different school. In the week before the shooting, the student reportedly slammed Zwerner’s cell phone and broke it, resulting in a one-day suspension, with his first day back being the day of the shooting.

      With regard to the gun used, he said “‘I stole it because I needed to shoot my teacher.’” The 6-year-old had previously stolen his mother’s car keys, and a child protective services investigation required her to put them in a lockbox. Taylor did not put the gun in a lockbox, the prosecutor said, adding that on a previous occasion, the boy had played with the gun at his grandmother’s house and expressed interest in going to a gun range.

      The boy had been on a modified school schedule with a parent joining him in class until Christmas break because of his behavioral issues. After the break, a parent did not accompany the boy to class anymore. Earlier in the week of the Jan. 6 shooting, the boy smashed Zwerner’s cellphone and claimed later to police that he told his teacher, “I’m never coming back to your room again you b—-.”

      Not feeling self-righteous, mainly recognizing a social contract, and it doesn’t include making babies without raising them.

      No one is adopting these babies.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar

        As a parent, she is not uncommon. There are more than a few who had kids who never should have.

        But public schools have no choice – unlike charter and voucher and private schools.

        Public schools must take these kids along with their irresponsible parents and someone figure out how to do it while keeping the teachers and other kids safe.

        It was a failure in this case because IMO of gross negligence by the folks in charge.

        You can bet all the other teachers in that school KNEW the administration did NOT have their back… and they thank their lucky stars it was not them who got shot!

        re: ” Not feeling self-righteous, mainly recognizing a social contract, and it doesn’t include making babies without raising them.

        No one is adopting these babies.”

        Truth!

        1. Not Today Avatar

          Some people are adopting ‘these babies’, not always the right ones (trauma or race informed) but *some* are…just not those pushing most vociferously for them to be born.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar

            Some are. Often the not-good parent keeps the kid and “teaches” them how to grow up to be like the parent…

      2. Not Today Avatar

        Funny, but making ‘these’ babies (one of whom my husband and I adopted) without raising them is exactly what Republicans want these days, no? This baby had a front row seat to a violent movie on repeat. If ‘no one wants to adopt these babies’ then what happens?

        1. StarboardLift Avatar
          StarboardLift

          Exactly. When I drive by an old white male protesting with an anti-choice sign in hand I want to ask “how many children have you fostered/adopted?” The Quantity over Quality Christian Right needs to keep their beliefs for home, to church, out of government, off my liberties. Today, especially, I’m mindful of deeds done in the name of religious belief. Those 19 men who acted 22 years ago were serving their religious beliefs, too.

      3. energyNOW_Fan Avatar
        energyNOW_Fan

        OK yes Jan 6 2023…I found myself wondering how long ago this happened…this was one of cases where the cops held secret the family’s identity for some months. Other cases we never hear who done it, due to secrecy. This case was more public so eventually we got the info.

  5. Matt Adams Avatar

    “After pleading guilty in June to charges that she lied about being an illegal drug user on federal firearm forms and for unlawful use of a controlled substance while possessing a gun, Taylor tested positive for pot in July.”

    I was waiting for this article, however what she was charged with is the same offense as Hunter Biden. Which I was also expecting to be brought up. The problem with that line of reasoning is that 1, it’s all tied to the Brady Bill (garbage), and 2) that very item was weighed in at the appeals court level in August (ruled Unconstitutional) and is awaiting SCOTUS determination.

    With that being said, her parole violations pretty much sum up why her son never got the proper care he deserved. She’s selfish and will suffer the consequences of her actions.

    Just a bit of an FYI, cocaine is out of your system in 3 days.

    Oh and POTUS Biden (Brady Bill, 3Strikes) and VPOTUS Harris (CA DA/AG) are both personally responsible for more incarcerations of BIPOC people than anyone else in our Federal Government, but go ahead and let them tell you otherwise.

  6. Not Today Avatar

    Is this anything like these folks? What was their job? How did they (and the tens of thousands like them) fail…and keep failing? Is drug addiction a disease or a moral failing? Make up your mind who you want to apply that to and be consistent. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/09/09/ohio-city-shares-shocking-photos-of-adults-who-overdosed-with-a-small-child-in-their-car/

    1. LarrytheG Avatar

      disease or moral failing… now THATs a QUESTION beyond even drugs!

      smoking, eating, drinking, “huffing”, glue-sniffing…

      up north in Canada… way up north in these First Nation villages (about as “rural” as one can image… whiskey is outlawed but they get free travel to cities where they pick up glue to sniff… These villages are awful places… the kids are totally unsupervised and run amok through the streets… and steal whatever they can get their hands on that is not locked down. The “Northern” stores look like forts with steel grids on the doors… truly 3rd world.

Leave a Reply