Court rules student's artwork not a threat to police Published 9:35 a.m. PDT Thursday, August 1, 2002 CHICO, Calif. (AP) - A Pleasant Valley High School student's art class painting that showed him shooting a police officer who had cited him for possessing marijuana did not constitute a criminal threat, a state appeals court has ruled. The youth, identified in court papers only as Ryan D., never showed his painting to Chico Police Sgt. Lori MacPhail, the state Court of Appeals in Sacramento said Tuesday. The court said that paintings are ambiguous as a statement of intent and that the artwork didn't amount to a threat. The painting showed the boy "shooting the officer in the back of the head, blowing away pieces of her flesh and face," the court noted. "Without question, it was intemperate and demonstrated extremely poor judgment," presiding Justice Arthur Scotland wrote in his opinion. He added that "it does not appear to be anything other than pictorial ranting." The appeals court dismissed a finding by Butte County Superior Court Judge Ann Rutherford that the teenager had made a terrorist threat against MacPhail but let the marijuana violation stand. MacPhail said Wednesday she was disappointed by the ruling. "It's unfortunate that that could be the interpretation," she said. "It was clear and straightforward to me it was more than just a painting." MacPhail cited the teenager on Dec. 8, 1999, for possessing marijuana while off the high school campus during school hours. A month later, Ryan D., then 15, turned in a painting for his art class that showed a boy shooting a female police officer in the head. The artwork also included the letters "CPD," for Chico Police Department, and "67," MacPhail's badge number. The art instructor found the painting "disturbing" and "scary" and showed it to school administrators, who then showed it to MacPhail. The appeals court said there was no evidence the teenager ever intended to show the officer his artwork, Scotland noted. http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/3804909p-4830234c.html