Florida teen Kiera Wilmot, the 16-year old who was accused of "igniting a chemical explosion on school grounds" and was arrested and suspended from her high school, has been cleared of all charges and is now heading to space camp, according to ABC News.
Authorities dropped the charges against the central Florida honors student last week after the teen became the subject of a grassroots social media campaign on her behalf. Wilmot had been doing a science experiment that her teachers said they had no knowledge of, and faced possible felony charges after "school administrators reported she combined toilet bowl cleaner and aluminum foil in a bottle, and the resulting gas blew the cap off the plastic bottle, according to the police report."
No one was injured in the incident.
"Based upon the facts and circumstances of the case, the lack of criminal history of the child involved, and the action taken by the Polk County School Board, the State Attorney's Office extended an offer of diversion of prosecution to the child," Polk County State Attorney Jerry Hill wrote in a statement. "The child and her guardian signed the agreement to successfully complete the Department of Juvenile Justice Diversion Program."
The ordeal was a shock for Wilmot and her mom, Marie, who is a single mother to Wilmot and and her twin sister Kayla.
"The initial phone call was terrifying," Marie said to ABC News. "Time will help I hope, it was devastating for me as a mother."
School officials are currently over whether or not Wilmot will be permitted to return to Bartow High School, but the family recently received an unexpected surprise from 18-year NASA veteran Homer Hickam, "a former lead astronaut training manager for Spacelab, and later for the International Space Station."
Hickman encountered a brush with police for allegedly starting a forest fire in the 1950s, and led him and his friends away in handcuffs at his high school. Luckily, his physics professor and school principal "came to the rescue, clearing him of wrongdoing," in the days before schools had zero-tolerance policies and rules that might threaten them with jail time and a criminal record.
"I couldn't let this go without doing something," Hickam said. "I'm not a lawyer, but I could give her something that would encourage her. I've worked closely with the U.S. Space Academy, and so I purchased a scholarship for her."
Hickman raised enough money so that Wilmot and her twin sister, Kayla, can attend space camp together in July, a five-night program which "immerses students in science, technology, and math education, while giving them hands-on training, learning about the mental, emotional and physical demands astronauts, engineers and technologists face," according to its website. The college-accredited program allows students to receive one hour of freshman level general science credit upon completion.
"I'm really excited about going," Wilmot said. "Especially the zero gravity tank, I've always wanted to do that." Wilmot and her sister both credit their love of science to their 8th grade robotics teacher, who sparked their interest.
"I like to program and build robots, it's challenging and you have to build them a certain way," Wilmot said. "I'd like to be careful with the science I do, always remember to follow directions, and be aware of peer pressure."
The girls' mother will joining them at the program in Huntsville, Ala., "taking the time to relax and reflect while her daughters explore the many facets of the program."
"The way people have reached out, I wasn't expecting this kind of response," she said. "It is a blessing."
Click here to see a photo of Keira Wilmot with her mother, Marie, and twin sister, Kayla.
