Wash. Teen Found Not Guilty | News | Advocate.com
source: http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/08/12/Mount_Si_Teen_Found_Not_Guilty/
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- toyotabedzrock
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An 11th grader at Mount Si High School in North Bend, Wash., was found not guilty on a charge of assault, stemming from a locker-room fight involving antigay slurs last November.
A freshman, 14, said the 16-year-old junior hit him twice as he was attempting to defend a friend who was being bullied, according to the The Seattle Times. The freshman sustained a broken eye socket, two broken teeth, and a concussion. He was absent from school for two months and did not complete the academic year.
The younger student and his family assert that the fight was the boiling point after weeks of bullying that had never been reported to school authorities.Witnesses testified, however, that the freshman had been taunting other students and had used gay slurs as well.
Presiding juvenile court judge Chris Washington determined that the fight was by “mutual agreement” and that the junior was not guilty of second-degree assault. The issue of bullying was not a topic during the trial.
The freshman’s mother denounced the verdict, expressing frustrations with Mount Si administrators for what she considered their lax response to the incident and poor efforts to address bullying on a schoolwide basis.
The defendant’s father, however, thanked the witnesses for their honesty and asserted that his son had never participated in antigay crimes.
A freshman, 14, said the 16-year-old junior hit him twice as he was attempting to defend a friend who was being bullied, according to the The Seattle Times. The freshman sustained a broken eye socket, two broken teeth, and a concussion. He was absent from school for two months and did not complete the academic year.
The younger student and his family assert that the fight was the boiling point after weeks of bullying that had never been reported to school authorities.Witnesses testified, however, that the freshman had been taunting other students and had used gay slurs as well.
Presiding juvenile court judge Chris Washington determined that the fight was by “mutual agreement” and that the junior was not guilty of second-degree assault. The issue of bullying was not a topic during the trial.
The freshman’s mother denounced the verdict, expressing frustrations with Mount Si administrators for what she considered their lax response to the incident and poor efforts to address bullying on a schoolwide basis.
The defendant’s father, however, thanked the witnesses for their honesty and asserted that his son had never participated in antigay crimes.
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littlwarrior
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Whether it was anti gay or not those are some serious injuries for a fight. I am from montana and i have seen some fights go down worse than that but they were for more than gay bashing. Only saw one for gay bashing, some idiot said something about me in school, he didnt notice my very big brother behind him, that one went really really bad. Poor guy, just thought he was being cool oops. Still a broken eye socket, that junior needs counseling or something.
- 1 year ago
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littlwarrior
