Lakeport >> An accused art thief took the stand at the Lake County Courthouse Thursday afternoon. In this case over a stolen painting valued at an estimated $100,000, the prosecution and defense consisted of teenage witnesses and counsel as they were high school students competing in the third annual Lake County Mock Trail.
With the authority and confidence of seasoned lawyers and experts, Middletown High School students (MHS) won against Upper Lake High School, continuing their rein as the only school that’s won the competition.
MHS teacher and coach Danielle Bruns simply attributes their wins for three years in a row to “A lot of hard work.”
The teams receive the case in September provided by Constitutional Rights Foundation, Burns said. It comes with facts, witnesses and statements and a pretrial motion.
During the competition, students were scored on various aspects including the pretrial motion and witness testimonies. Scores were then tallied up to determine the day’s winners.
The competition had a morning and afternoon trial, during which schools switched which side they were on.
In the morning trial, Burns said her students “did a wonderful job with objections and answered the judge confidently.”
The case revolved around an art intern and claims that he switched the original painting “Treason” by Fletcher Yazoo and replaced it with his own replica from an art history professor’s mansion during her annual Fourth of July celebration.
MHS students who played the role of the prosecution in the afternoon trial alleged the defendant stole the painting during the fireworks display and by the end, gave enough evidence for presiding Judge Stephen O. Hedstrom to make a guilty verdict.
“It was incredible to watch, actually,” Norma Cromwell, of the Lake County Office of Education, said after the competition. “Each team did an amazing job.”
Hedstrom was equally impressed with the students’ performance from both schools and said it was the best mock trial yet and that the students flourished.
The MHS team will now head to Riverside in late March to compete in the statewide competition.
