ON HER SIDE- Kandise Lucas, a volunteer advocate for schoolchildren with mental challenges, receives a pledge of state NAACP support Monday from Jack Gravely, interim executive director of the civil rights group. Location: The state NAACP headquarters in Richmond. The state NAACP rallied to assist Ms. Lucas after she was arrested in May for trespassing at a Chesterfield County school from which she was barred. She was handcuffed after she showed up to serve as an advocate for a special needs child at the request of the child’s parents. Ms. Lucas chose not to fight the charge in court Tuesday. She entered an Alford plea in which she maintained her innocence, but agreed the evidence was strong enough to convict her. She was placed on 12 months’ probation, with the prospect the charge could be dismissed if she is not arrested or convicted again.
