Kip Patten testifying in Toni Fratto’s preliminary hearing this July
At least from the time he was 10 years old Kody Patten was considered a monster by almost everyone who had to deal with him with the exception of his parents.
“He was just an awful kid,” said one of his elementary school teachers who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “He attacked other students, used vulgar and obscene language. I couldn’t turn my back on him couldn’t even let him sit with the rest of the class. But the worst thing was that when you tried to discipline him his father Kip would come and threaten to sue the school. Kip would argue every single point of Kody’s infractions. Finally instead of suspending him for one thing a wrote out a list. I think the longest was 14 separate major infractions in one week.”
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Now accused of murdering 16 year old Micaela “Mickie” Costanzo, two things appear to have remained constant with Kody Patten throughout his time in Wendover’s school: he was a violent, disrespectful incorrigible student and that he had the unequivocal support of his father.
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The younger Patten’s behavior was so out of control that he was taken out of the classroom by the time he was in 6th grade and by the time he was in junior high school, teachers actively sought to have him expelled.
“October 3rd, 2011 at 6:36 am
A number of Kody’s teachers, myself included, argued regularly that he be expelled to protect students. The administration seemed intimidated by his parents,” wrote one of his Junior High School teacher’s on the Advocate’s web page www.coyote-tv.com.
When contacted this week that teacher provided a litany of the younger Patten’s more egregious and memorable offenses.
“This was junior high, pre-teenagers, I never thought I would ever push for the expulsion of so young a kid but he was unbelievable,” the teacher said. “Like I said in my post, his parents mostly his dad Kip fought for him tooth and nail. I am all for dad’s sticking by their sons but it’s a father’s job to raise a good man not a murderer.”
It is unknown whether the Patten’s sought any kind of psychiatric help for their son however the Advocate was able to confirm that at least by the time the younger Patten was a senior and perhaps much earlier he had been labeled with a learning disability.
“That is a major part of the problem,” said a highly placed administrator. “The way the state and federal law is written now it is extremely difficult if not impossible to expel a student if the parent vigorously opposes the process especially if the student is labeled learning disabled.”
The Elko County handbook on student discipline bears out that assessment in black and white. Students with ‘learning disabilities’ not only cannot be expelled but also cannot be suspended for more than ten days in any given school year and according to other school administrators not connected with the Elko District getting such a diagnosis is all too easy.
“It doesn’t take much,” said John Karas Director of the online high school the Beacon Academy. “Once they get the label and their parents still support them the only way to get them out is if they commit a felony and end up in jail.”
Patten came very close to that scenario about four months before the murder of Mickie Costanzo when he attacked his girlfriend/ accomplice Toni Fratto on school property and on video tape.
But just as the boy received unconditional support from his father Kip, he also received it from Fratto and her parents Claude and Cassie. The Fratto’s refused to press charges and may have told police that they would not testify against the younger Patten.
“For me that was the most incredible thing in this sordid history,” the administrator said. “You can almost understand a father supporting his kid no matter right or wrong, but the parents of the girl? I just can’t wrap my head around that.”
For her part Toni Fratto is described as the polar opposite of her boyfriend accomplice, not as a good girl to an bad boy but rather as a nullity to evil.
“She simply wasn’t there,” a teacher said. “She barely said a word. She never participated in class. If it wasn’t for her empty seat you wouldn’t notice she was absent..”
“This whole story makes me sick,” the administrator said. “Even without the murder of Mickie Costanzo you have to wonder just what the heck Kip Patten was fighting for? Kody wasn’t going to graduate, he wasn’t going to get a diploma. Were all his threats and intimidation just for his boy to walk during graduation and get a certificate that he went to school for 12 years?”
Selected reader’s post from the High desert Advocate’s website are reprinted below:
WWHS Teacher Says:
October 3rd, 2011 at 6:36 am e
A number of Kody’s teachers, myself included, argued regularly that he be expelled to protect students. The administration seemed intimidated by his parents. Yes, ECSD should be held accountable.
Wendover Will Says:
October 3rd, 2011 at 7:28 pm e
Wow, I am blown away that teachers would tell you this stuff. Haven’t they ever heard of FERPA (well Ferpa is a law that bars a teacher from sharing information of any student) . But are you surprised, since half the teachers are big piles.
Lucca Says:
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:26 pm e
One thing I can say, is that West Wendover teachers are NOT piles! Some of the BEST teachers work at WWES and WWHS! Until you have dealt with Patten at the school level, Wendover Will, you shouldn’t judge! Have you ever thought that maybe the information they are receiving is from legal papers, etc? FERPA vs. the murder of a child??? Come on…FERPA means nothing when it comes to investigating a murder! If it were your child, I am pretty sure you would want any information possible to be given out to help prosecute the scumbags that murdered your child! Perhaps one can fault the ECSD, but if that is going to be the case, the same fault needs to be given to law enforcement for not supporting the school when it comes to all of the crap he did…in and out of school! Who’s to say that the same thing would or would not have happened had Patten, Fratto and whomever else committed this horrible crime had they not had access to the school…they were loose on the town. Think about it and don’t blame the teachers or say they are piles…they have dealt with this sociopath for many, many years…perhaps his parents should have gotten him help many years ago, instead of threatening the schools, blaming them, making excuses for his very violent behavior and saying they were picking on their son!
former resident Says:
October 4th, 2011 at 6:16 am e
I am in agreement Lucca.The teachers are NOT piles!!!! Not only as a former resident as well as student, we do have some of the best teachers,that have pledged their life to teaching the children of West Wendover. FERPA really,there is a child gone. Taken in the most brutal manner!!! You can take your “FERPA” and shove it. Justice for Mickey is more important than FERPA. The only one’s at fault in this matter are the one’s that made excuses for these two. Are you forgetting about the life taken? Wow people amaze me!! JUSTICE FOR MICKEY!
former resident Says:
October 4th, 2011 at 6:19 am e
And I would probably guess you yourself and or you have children at these schools, Good way to show your support. If it wasn’t for the teachers you just called “piles” the children of wendover would be bussed to another county.
Howard Copelan Says:
October 4th, 2011 at 9:27 am e
editor’s note: While it is not our policy to identify posts because of its content we feel it is important to let let other posters know that until this most recent comment most posts coming from Wendover Will came from the server dedicated for WWES and WWHS.
Nope Says:
October 4th, 2011 at 1:47 pm e
Why is there never a story on Toni Fratto. Again, as “former resident” said,
“We keep hearing so much of how disturbed Kody was before the death of Mickey,but what about Fratto? Is she just that good at deceiving, and manipulation? We have to remember Mickey had 2 killers.”
Mickey had 2 killers, just not on coyote-tv.com.
“She simply wasn’t there,” a teacher said. “She barely said a word. She never participated in class. If it wasn’t for her empty seat you wouldn’t notice she was absent..”
Sure glad the teachers cared enough to try to include her or better the situation. But this sounds about right as I remember. A lot of the teachers (not all) see a situation like this and could care less about helping their students out or just simply don’t want to get involved. Not that I entirely blame them either. There are so many kids that don’t care either, with parents that also don’t care. It’s bound to rub off on the teachers too.
The pattens have two boys. Many times the boys mother said to me, and others; “Nick turned out good because I raised him. Kip raised Kody, need I say more” As Kody grew up I watched how his father raised him. Kip Patten has some very serious problems himself.
When Kody was in the 5th grade, there was an episode where he was disrupting the class…his regular teacher was gone and the teacher filling in was another teacher from the same school. After numerous requests for Kody to stop being a disruption, he was told to go to the office…he refused to leave the classroom. After the office was called, Kody went into a rage and began shoving stuff of his desk and off of others…he then shoved his desk at the teacher, bumping her with the desk. Kody was finally removed from the classroom and at the end if the day, his mom came into the classroom yelling at the teacher and accusing her if picking on her son; she also proceeded to call her a bitch and repeatedly told her that it was her (the teacher) fault that Kody got so angry and acted out the way he did.
This is only one of the numerous episodes that parental excuses were made for Kody and threats were made to sue the school. The writing was in the wall years ago and many people always said, “If his parents do not quit making excuses for him, instead of holding him accountable for his actions, he is going to really hurt or kill someone one of these days!”. Sadly, they were correct! This time, they cannot bail him out and their excuses will not do him any good and it is so incredibly unfortunate that it took the murder of a beautiful young lady! It also boggles my mind that Fratto’s parents would let him assault their daughter and do nothing about it! More excuses made for this sociopath and why???? Calling him a “puke” is definitely the nicest thing one can call him!
Wow!