Perkins Co. High School Black fifth at State Mock Trial

The Perkins County High School Black team completed their season by competing in the State Mock Trial competition on Jan. 10-12.
The competition, held virtually using Zoom was for the qualifiers from the various regions throughout the state of Nebraska.
The qualifiers were teams from Ainsworth, Bellevue West, Creighton Prep, Duchesne, Grand Island Northwest, Ogallala, Gering, York Wayne, Lutheran High Northeast and Fillmore Central in addition to Perkins County.
This was the first year that Perkins County had qualified for state competition since 2008.
The annual competition consists of three days of trials among the various teams. Following those trials the top two teams are selected and they compete in the state finals which were held on Jan. 13.
Winning this year’s competition was Creighton Prep, followed, in order, by Duchesne, Bellevue West, Ainsworth, Perkins County, GI Northwest, Gering, Ogallala, York, Wayne, Lutheran High Northeast and Fillmore Central.
In the final standings, Perkins County was awarded fifth place.
The Plainsmen had a record of 2-1 which tied them with Bellevue West and Ainsworth.
Ties were broken by a complicated system involving points scored and the number of judges who select that team as a winner of a trial.
The case for this year was State of Nebraska v. Jules Chapelle.
Jules Chapelle has been charged with manslaughter in the death of Dickie Chapelle, the sister of the defendant. Dickie Chapelle died while attending a vaping party hosted by Jules Chapelle and her death may have been the result of inhaling banned or controlled substances in the vape products.
For mock trial competition, teams must prepare for both sides of the case.
In the first trial of their competition, the Plainsmen had the defense side against GINW.
Attorneys for the defense are Kaitlyn Meyer, Selah Richter-Martinez and Gavin Smith.
Witnesses were Daniel Hampton as Al Hayes, a guest at the party; Summer Postlewait as D. Leigh Roth, the paramedic called to the scene; and Cait Dolezal as the defendant, Jules Chapelle.
Perkins County was selected as the winner of that trial.
The second trial saw the Plainsmen representing the State of Nebraska as the prosecution opposing Ainsworth.
 This time the attorneys were Meyer, Postlewait, and Smith.
Witnesses were Ashton Meyer as investigating officer Dallas Perkins; Richter-Martinez as Nik Quarkian, a supplier of vaping products containing illegal additives; and Meghan Bishop as Dr. Willa Hunter, forensic pathologist.
In a close, hard fought trial, Ainsworth was awarded the win on a split decision.
On Wednesday, the Plainsmen faced Fillmore Central.
The Plainsmen had the defense again and prevailed. The team members were the same as they were against GINW.
Creighton Prep defeated Duchesne in the finals. This was Prep’s fifth state title in the past six years. Prep now moves on to the national finals which will be held later in the spring.
The Nebraska Mock Trial competition, officially known as the Judge Lyle Strom High School Mock Trial is conducted by the Nebraska State Bar Foundation under the direction of Doris J. Huffman.
All schools participating in the competition are in the same class, unlike NSAA sponsored activities which divides schools into classes based on enrollment.
This year, Perkins County was the smallest school to qualify for the state competition.
Perkins County coaches this year were Diana Tate and Don Harris and the attorneys whose assistance was invaluable were Tawna Holmstead, Rick Roberts, Tonya McArtor, and Amara Meyer Block.
Also providing assistance and information regarding the responsibilities and activities of a paramedic was Don Softley.
Tate and Harris would also like to publicly thank Principal Ben Jones and Activities Director Jeremy Struckman for their support and assistance. The mock trial teams could not have achieved the success they did without the support and resources they provided.
This year’s state qualifying PCS Black team consisted of three seniors, one junior and four sophomores.
Additionally, the PCS Red team finished third in regional competition, beaten in a close contest against PCS Black in the semi-finals. These factors contribute to a positive outlook for the 2022-23 competitive season.