[shooz]

This kid is facing an 8yr felony for a harmless senior prank.
Still think we're not heading for a police state?

Tyell Morton, Indiana Teen, Could Face 8 Years Behind Bars For Blow-Up Doll Senior Prank

[Colbyt]

A little excessive is a gross understatement. Misdemeanor mischief would be a valid charge.

[shooz]

Yes, but that's not the charge.

I remember kids stealing a cannon from the grounds of another school and placing it on the dome of the gym when I graduated.
Took a bit of work, that.

It was consider a prank and files were not charged.

[MRRiley]

Good grief... Make the kid pay the $8000 (IF that figure can be justified... I assume it was for SWAT and the Bomb Squad to "clear the bathroom") and be done with it.

Mike

[reeftool]

The stuff that went on during our senior week back in 1968 probably would have ended up with the National Guard being called out. The noises of cherry bombs and M 80's were pretty regular.

[MRRiley]

Funny thing is... Most of the administrators in today's schools (and on the school boards) probably did far worse when they were seniors back in the 70s/80s. I guess old age is decaying both their memorys (or maybe it was the drugs) as well as their senses of humor.

[Todd Adamson]

The stuff that went on during our senior week back in 1968 probably would have ended up with the National Guard being called out. The noises of cherry bombs and M 80's were pretty regular.

No doubt. I think about that often. I remember several of us got dressed up in ninja-type gear with backpacks for extra ammo. We had ski-masks. Our weapons were squirt guns and our extra ammo was filled water balloons. We were going to go running through the school getting everyone wet. It was certainly against the rules, probably against the law, and we could have caused some minor damage. It never happened. As we were getting dressed in the bathroom, a hall monitor walked in to take a leak. Just bad luck, LOL. We were almost ready and had our masks on, so we just ran. We managed to escape, no harm done to anyone or anything. But today, that whole thing could have turned into a serious mess.

[normhead]

These school officials and prosecuting attorney don't give a crap about justice. They over-reacted and went berserk over nothing. They look like fools. Now trying to save face with ridiculous charges. It's funny how every moron on the public payroll who does something really dumb... blames it on terrorists. IN the post Columbine world there is no place for emotional cripples who lose their cool every time something a little out of the ordinary happens. These people aren't capable of existing rationally in the modern world, which by the way is no place for cowards like them. $8000 for the anti-terror squad. WHo the hell pays for them the rest of the time? How much does it cost everytime those dudes sit down for donuts? $8000 plus the cost of the donuts?

[SpecialK]

Good grief... Make the kid pay the $8000 (IF that figure can be justified... I assume it was for SWAT and the Bomb Squad to "clear the bathroom") and be done with it.

Mike

I'm sure that is what will happen (at a much lower $ amount). I don't understand the hoopla - yet.

[Jodokast96]

But when school officials saw surveillance video of a hooded figure wearing latex gloves entering a women's bathroom carrying a suspicious package and leaving empty-handed, they tipped off authorities.

Too much work for them to get off of their asses and take a look for themselves? I'm sure some scumbag lawyer out there could make a counter suit that they were the ones responsible for creating the situation by being lazy and stupid, and in turn their scumbag lawyer could make a case that it wasn't even their fault, but rather the district for not providing proper training on how to deal with potential pranks.

[fisheye freak]

Looks like you are getting the Political Correctness disease that the rest of the English speaking world is getting. People getting jail for a harmless prank, yet murderers get let off .Remember the old "topsy turvey land" books that little kids read? well here it is for real.If we continue with this sort of stupidity, western society WILL collapse. I keeping telling my kids-"hopefully I will be dead by the time the ^%#@ hits the fan, but you kids WILL be around, and it aint going to be pretty."
Mark my words.

[Jodokast96]

Who exactly is "you" referring to? Me? Another poster? The US?

[Parallax]

I believe he is referring to the U.S. as a whole.

[GeneV]

The charges here are overblown, but the root cause is the same as the TSA pat-downs of elderly travelers. Somewhere, fear has become overblown.

[magkelly]

We live in a post Columbine world unfortunately. School officials are paranoid, scared and quick to punish harshly. Can't say as I really blame them all that much seeing some of the kids around here. I do still occasionally meet a good one, but most of them are total punks with a huge sense of entitlement.