DOCUMENT: Stupid, Crime

Cops: Teen Tried To Frame Rival For Gun, Drugs

Weapons, pot were planted in H.S. student's car

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H.S. Frame-Up Bid

SEPTEMBER 7--In a bid to “exact revenge” on a high school student, a Florida teenager broke into his rival’s car and planted a loaded gun, a knife, and a bag of marijuana and then instructed an acquaintance to contact police to report spotting the items in the vehicle, according to court records.

The alleged plot to frame the student backfired after a witness told cops that they had spotted James Harrison, 18, breaking into the victim’s 1988 Honda while it was parked Tuesday in a lot at Clearwater High School.

As detailed in a series of criminal complaints, Harrison placed a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver, a knife, and a “52 gram bag of marijuana” inside the Honda around 9:30 AM on August 31. The gun, cops noted, had its serial number ground off.

Harrison then “directed another person to contact the school resource officer and Crimestoppers to report it,” according to investigators. “The goal was to have the vehicle’s driver...arrested for serious offenses and removed from the school to exact revenge.”

The complaints do not reveal why Harrison allegedly sought to “exact revenge” against the victim, whose name was redacted from Clearwater Police Department reports.

In a videotaped police interview, Harrison--who is seen in the above and below photos--reportedly confessed to trying to frame the student.

The 6’ 5”, 300-pound Harrison, who graduated from Clearwater High School three months ago, has been charged with four felonies stemming from the bizarre scheme. The teenager spent two days in jail before being released Saturday on $55,000 bond.

Harrison’s Twitter and Instagram pages are filled with photos of guns, jewelry, and stacks of cash, along with references to the consumption of Hennessy cognac, Xanax pills, and “lean.”

In a July 6 Twitter post, Harrison noted that it had been a year since he was shot, but offered no further details. “Gotta try harder to kill my fat ass,” he wrote. On June 27, his 18th birthday, Harrison asked his 14,000+ followers, “Who’s down for a strip club tonight?” (2 pages)