Fla. woman, also arrested for science project, gives Ahmed Mohamed advice
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Nineteen-year-old Kiera Wilmot wondered, "How could this happen again?"
Like Ahmed Mohamed of Texas, a Muslim student who was arrested after showing up with a homemade clock thought to be a bomb recently, Wilmot had a similar experience after showing off a science project a couple years ago.
As a 16-year-old student at Bartow High school in Polk County, Fla., in 2013, her volcano creation was mistaken as a bomb and she was arrested.
"No rights read to me, [I was] taken in a police car from school to a juvenile assessment center," she said.
But, just like Mohamed who garnered immense social media support and even an invitation to the White House, the community came out in her defense.
"I think what they did was amazing. How he had all the support behind him," she said. Her charges were dropped in a month. Mohamed's were dropped much sooner.
However, the school district in Texas stands by their decision.
"It's a little bit disappointing that there are so many comments on social media from people who I don't think have the complete story and we have an obligation to protect all 2,800 students here at MacArthur," said Lesley Weaver, spokeswoman for the Irving School District.
These days Wilmot is a model and mechanical engineering major at Florida Polytechnic University. She hopes to meet Mohamed one day and has a bit of advice for him.
"I'd tell him he has to keep moving forward and not let the haters get to him," she said.