School violence is on the rise. I’m convinced most school violence incidents stem from bullying. For some children, the bullying is so intense, I believe they retaliate—that doesn’t make the violence justifiable—but to me, it seems the violence is preventable. Schools don’t have the funding to stop the bullying that happens daily in schools.
The bully in this true crime used the internet to bully a girl whom she believed was flirting with her boyfriend. A police officer associated with the case said,
“I’ve handled harassment calls for 24 years and have never seen threats as violent, disgusting and vulgar as these.”
Typically, the court system seal case files for crimes committed by children. Here, the 16-year-old bully pleaded guilty to terrorizing, a felony, which resulted in the court unsealing the documents.
Law enforcement based the charges against the teen on many anonymous internet threats she made on social media against a 17-year-old classmate. At one point, the victim’s family feared for their safety and left their home.
Here’s a mild example of the type of threats she made:
“Your face is like a baby seal. Fat, furry, and just asking to be clubbed to death.”
As with all threats made on the internet, there’s no such thing as anonymous. Thankfully, the victim told her parents what was happening, and her parents contacted law enforcement, who determined the source.
The bully pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor terrorizing charges and because of her plea agreement, the district attorney dropped the felony charge.
A judge sentenced her to only using her cell phone for talking and texting, must live with her parents, obey the rules of her home, barred her from social media, limited internet for school use only and with supervision, and no contact with her victim. A case worker determined when she could resume normal internet use. The judge assigned probation for one year—until her 18th birthday. #harassment #jealousy
The bully changed schools. The victim changed schools. At the sentencing, the victim’s father said to his daughter’s bully,
“The sick ways you imagined killing my daughter still send chills down my back. I’m disappointed how easy you will be getting off.”
Also at the sentencing, the judge told the victim’s parents that under the state juvenile laws, the system is intended to be remedial and rehabilitative. He said to the bully,
“There really is no excuse for your conduct or an explanation…. the restrictions imposed represent an opportunity to demonstrate that this isn’t just talk, that, in fact, you get the point and that you’re sorry for what you did.”
Source: Bangor Daily News