Archive: A 2022 Lincoln County truancy dispute — Part 1

Archive note: This first-person article by Eric Medlin was originally published by Lincoln County Social in April 2022. It has been restored from the site's source-code archive and lightly edited for privacy, clarity and current editorial standards. It reflects Medlin's account and opinions at that time; it is not current reporting and does not establish that any person committed a crime.

In the fall of 2021, my son experienced medical symptoms that caused him to miss school. Some absences appeared as excused in the school system and others did not. During the same period, members of my household were sick, and on November 23 I emailed school staff to explain that my son was ill and running a fever.

Withdrawal and online enrollment

After continued attendance notices and other concerns with the school, I withdrew my son from public school on January 26, 2022. I enrolled him in an online school the same day. A confirmation retained with the original article shows an enrollment date of January 26, but the student's name and identifying information are omitted from this restored version.

The complaint

On March 18, 2022, a criminal complaint was made alleging truancy-related violations and stating that my son had not been re-enrolled in another educational program. I disputed that statement because I had the online-school enrollment confirmation.

The original article identified then-school administrator Marty Soderborg as the person who made the complaint. A retained image of the complaint names Soderborg as the complainant and Eric J. Medlin as the defendant. That document establishes who signed the complaint; it does not by itself establish that the complainant knowingly made a false statement or committed perjury.

Summons and court date

I was served with a summons on April 17, booked and released on April 18, and scheduled to appear in court on April 19. At the time, I believed the complaint contained a serious falsehood and publicly called on Soderborg to explain his actions and withdraw the statement.

Those conclusions were my allegations and opinions in 2022. This restored archive does not present them as an adjudicated finding. Part 2 records what happened at court, the dismissal order retained with the archive and the report I later made to the Sheriff's Office.

Archived supporting images

• Criminal complaint crop
• November 2021 email — public redacted copy
• January 2022 enrollment confirmation — public redacted copy

Privacy note: Lincoln County Social preserved the original images privately. The public email and enrollment copies obscure the family photo and student's name. Lincoln County Social welcomes relevant records, corrections or responses from people named in this archive.