Boy Charged With Threatening Classmate
By: Mary Stanley
Published: 10/16/09
In what may be a case of bullying taken to the extreme, police have issued a summons to a 13-year-old boy who allegedly threatened to slice a classmate with a knife.
The juvenile is being charged with threatening to commit a crime: murder.
According to Police Chief Michael J. Miller, the 13-year-old victim’s father walked into the police station last Friday evening to report that a threat was made on his son’s life.
He told police he heard the threat when he listened in on a phone call made to his son by the 13-year-old. In the course of the conversation, the suspect told the victim he was going to “slice him like a Samurai.”
The victim, an 8th grader at the Oak Ridge School, was planning to attend Friday night’s varsity football game at the Pop Warner field when he received a text message warning him not to go to the game because there was a group of boys there who were planning to hurt him.
The victim’s father said his son received a phone call shortly after that text message, which his son placed on speakerphone for his parents to hear, during which the suspect made the threat.
Police have been interviewing several witnesses as well as five other juveniles who may have been involved in making threats against the boy.
Police are still trying to determine if anyone else may have threatened the boy and if a knife was actually brought to the football game.
“There could potentially be others who will be charged,” Chief Miller said.
According to the chief, in the course of the investigation, police also learned of other threats made to kill the victim and bury his body under the bleachers.
The victim’s father said he does not know why the boys are targeting his son. He said at one time his son was friends with some of the boys in the group. He said for the past month and a half, his son had been harassed by the boys.
According to Chief Miller, the victim told police that on one occasion, one of the boys took his hat off his head, threw it in a toilet, and urinated on it. On another occasion a stink bomb was thrown at the boy.
The victim’s father said his son has returned to school since the threats were made on Friday night and he feels confident that his son is safe there.
“The assistant principal and the superintendent have been unbelievably cooperative. I can’t say enough about the way the school is handling this,” the victim’s father said.
Chief Miller said a police officer will be meeting with school administrators to discuss this incident. He said it will be up to the school administrators to conduct their own investigation and to determine what action should be taken.
Chief Miller said the charge against the suspect is a misdemeanor and that paperwork has already been filed with the juvenile courts. He said a hearing will be scheduled with a clerk magistrate to see if there are grounds for a complaint.
15 Responses to "Boy Charged With Threatening Classmate"
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Wow, if there are people in Sandwich that still believe things like this dont happen in such a cookie-cutter town, this should serve as a wake up call! It is extremely scary to think that 13 year olds are capable of plotting to kill a classmate, but other recent high-profile cases of extreme bullying highlight the fact that it has become a huge problem across the nation and that Sandwich is not immune. My concern is that because the perpetrators are juveniles, tnot enough will be done to protect future victims of bullying in Sandwich. It seems to me that bringing one misdemeanor charge of threatening to commit a crime will not be an effective crime deterrent. The serious nature of the threat and the evident planning that went into the efforts to lure the young victim into a trap warrant a more robust effort on the part of the Sandwich police department. While it is great that the police department and the school system appear to be coordinating their efforts, we cannot ignore that this is a criminal matter that merits attention from law enforcement. Had the plot been actually carried out, we would be mourning the loss of a young life at the hands of senseless violence and not simply a case of what some would characterize as 'boys being boys." I am concerned for the safety and well-being of the young victim and of other classmates at Oak Ridge who may be subject to the same type of threats and violence. I urge all residents of Sandwich, especially parents, to give this issue the attention it deserves, to demand accountability from the perpetrators and to work towards making our schools a safe place where children may learn about Math and English without worrying that their classmates will be plotting to attack them with knives.
I agree with krib-Sandwich is not immune to bullying and this situation should not be taken lightly. The recent case of a young boy being set on fire by bullies is a fresh example of the level of violence that can be inflicted on a victim. Bullying should be taken seriously and dealt with swiftly and effectively to help deter future bullying. Kudos to the child that warned the boy not to go to the game! Hopefully, he/she will serve as a great example to others. I will be interested in reading how this situation is handled and trust the punishment will be appropriate for the potential crime.
Bullying begins at home.....this I firmly believe. Parents, wake up! Cape Cod is not exempt from the nationwide increase in school bullying. This incident in Sandwich is one very close to my heart and family, and it is inconceivable that many parents will state that the bully or bullies, intended no harm and the parents did not foresee any serious outcomes. They will also say that authorities are singling out their kids. Some parents feel that bullying is just a case of kids being kids.......Well, all it takes is some research into bullying or hazing, not only across the country but right here on Cape Cod. There have been, and will continue to be serious life altering cases of bulling and hazing in our quaint, small towns here on the Cape, search any newspaper in any given year, and I guarantee you will find a bullying or hazing incident. ( Sandwich, remember Garrett?) On national average, there is a case of serious bullying every 7 minutes in our schools! Every child that has had to expierence this outrageous behavior in the safety of their schools deserves our diligence and public outcry towards this ever increasing danger. Parents need to wake up and see that this is a dangerous situation, and that the schools cannot stop this on their own, parents NEED to get involved and pay attention to their kids behavior, and not just brush this off. Everyone involved in the school and legal system are mandated reporters, and MUST pay attention to bullying and report accordingly. If we allow this to continue, we will be facing a tragedy so great that it will effect all of us. I urge all parents to pay attention to this matter, and urge all of our schools on the Cape to take notice. There are state run programs through the Governers Council to help prevent and stop bullying in our schools. The 'Guide to Bullying Prevention" is available from the Governors Task Force. Students must feel safe in the school environment, and also feel safe about reporting what is wrong without recrimination. Let's all work together to make this happen.
First, I am glad that nothing happened to the victim but to only charge the suspect(s) with a misdemeanor is totally ridiculous! Because he/they are 13? If this happened to be a couple of adults threatening each other, it would be a different story. It would be conspiracy to commit murder not a misdemeanor. The suspects knew what they were planning to do, because of the phone calls being made to the victim, also texting to the victim. This was going to be a planned attack with the possibility of murder. These kids should be EXPELLED from school. Or should we wait untill it escalates and turns into a Virgina Tech or Columbine incident? Why wait untill it's too late. If this had been followed through, there would be a hurt, or possibly worse, a dead young adult and a family mourning for a loss of their son. Parents should realize that you can't just sweep this kind of thing under the rug. This is not a case of boys being boys, it is a case of disturbed young adults who are taking advantage of living on cape cod, violent video games and bad parenting. Sandwich is not exempt from being a town with no crime, domestic violence, drugs, and threats. This is happening across the United States. So don't ignore it and give the suspects a slap on the wrist, because it will not stop anyone else from doing it. Make an example of the suspects so this might not happen again. Young adults should be able to go to school to learn not to be looking over their shoulder worried about their classmates doing them harm. .It is comforting that the police department and school system are getting involved and doing what they can to be cooperative. But this must be treated as a serious crime. The father of the victim is doing the right thing by going to the police and using the correct channels to follow this through to protect his child. That's what parents should do.....protect their children. Parents should tell their kids that it's ok to report these kinds of incidents to aparent, police officer, or another family member and not feel as if they are wrong for telling or face some kind of repercussions. .Residents of Sandwich, Parents of children in all the schools should be taking a closer look at this incident and understand that the victim could be their child, or he/she would be the suspect. Get more involved in your children's life and business, Stop trying to be a best friend and pal. Be fair, be honest, Don't turn a blind eye..do what your supposed to do.....PARENT. .
I hope the paper continues to follow this story and writes how this incident affects everyone- from the police department, school, student, and families. Todays bullies are tomorrow's criminals. Parent's should not turn a blind eye- hurrah for the family who had the courage to report the incident- hopefully this bully learned his lesson!
I think we need to keep in mind that these allegations have not yet been proven. There are always two sides to every story. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty? I understand that these are serious charges, but caution needs to be used when discussing matters like this when it is so early into the investigation. I agree that prevention and education starts at home , but lets all take a collective breath and let the investigation find the true facts of this case before we condemn anyone.
To all those who say" innocent until proven gulity".....No one is being condemned at the moment, no one is "guilty" at the moment in the eys of the law.Yes, the investigation needs to move forward, yes the authorities need to do their job, however, bullying in any way shape or form is dangerous, and it's time for all parents to wake up and take charge of their kids. This incident should be used as a wake up call and a parenting tool for all of us before something more serious and dangerous happens, it's pro-active, not reactive! The next child bullied could be yours! Open your eyes, all anyone has to do is research bullying on the Cape, in Massachusetts and around the country, and see the tragic results that have happened, because no one thought it would go "that far".
nip it in the bud-- send a STRONG msg to all involved. very strong. this is unnacceptable and it's up to us adults to keep it that way. (zero tolerance)
I think we are overdue for a sort of 'mini" basic training type of camp/school right here in sandwich. maybe in every town from what's going on... a place where these kids will be exposed to something like our military -- basic training. they can learn to take orders, shut their trap and learn some respect. we are so overdue. what good is a beautiful town, fine schools, etc., if we have this?
What appears to be peer pressure gone to the extreme, the chill i feel is still with me as i re read this article! We all read the papers, watch the news, and I as a parent , question, what is happening to our youth? What have we as adults, as parents, as teachers, missed? That this plot, along with other violent cases keep happening? Is it parents who would rather be FRIENDS with their kids than PARENTS? Is it the violent video games that some kids play? WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH OUR KIDS!! We need to as parents, take a stand, monitor our kids more, set more boundaries, edit what video games and movies we allow our kids to watch. somewhere along the line, we as a society dropped the ball with this generation! We as parents need to figure out a way to stop this!! I am afraid as a parent for our kids, what kind of parents will todays youth be? I personally know alot of REALLY GOOD STRONG PARENTS, who take the job of parenting seriously, i also know some who appear to take this job lightly..perhaps we need to go after the parents of these violent kids? I cetainly dont have ANY OF THE ANSWERS, I know as a parent, I will keep checking facebook, reading and monitoring texs, setting boundaries, and hope and pray that I raise well educated ,well adjusted, emotionally sound healthy adults! We all know even doing the best we can as parents does not guarantee that our kids will be good teens and adults, but it is WORTH IT TO ME AS A PARENT TO FIGHT every step of the way, for my own kids so society is not burdened with any of my family! I urge all parents to follow this case along with other cases, to take a stand, WE WILL NOT ALLOW THIS!!! I urge the sandwich residents to work with the police, the schools, report bullying,,and to the young kid, who sent the warning tex, to warn the victim not to go to the game because people were after him to hurt him ..THIS KID IS A HERO!!!!! The parents of this kid should and i hope be SO PROUD!! They are doing a great job!!!
What a frightening situation for multiple families! Assuming the allegations are true, one family learns it's child's life and safety are under threat while others learn it's child has threatened the life and welfare of another! Each family carries a terrible burden This is a compelling story and I hope this paper continues to follow it and ensure a full investigation is done by the authorities. If the allegations are true, I hope the families of the accused will be willing to bear the embarrassment involved to make sure their children face their errors and correct their behavior. To allow any authority - parental or judicial - to "sweep this under the rug" would compound the injury to both the victim and the accused.
Zero Tolerance? Boot Camp for Sandwich? Send a strong message? Police dept and school getting involved? THINK AGAIN!.....the boys played their Pop Warner football game tonight....
The boys who were suspended from school, played a football game?????? What is wrong with this picture? Hint....(not the kids), it's the PARENTS AND ORGANIZERS OF POP WARNER, AND THE TOWN! These actions on the part of the "adults" in charge, are the cause all over the state and the country of kids getting away with unacceptable behavior. So, these kids get suspended from school, but still have their extracurricular activities, that is really not helping them realize the seriousness of this situation, and just shows them that this type of behavior is ok with their parents. So, as a consequence, this behavior will escalate at some point. These poor kids need strong parental influence, not confusion. Do any parents read the paper? Do you pay attention of whats going on in your kids lives? What will it take to have you wake up and realize that our kids need help? This is a very sad and scary case of parents not doing their job , in my opinion.
To all the parents and children in Sandwich and other towns, One lesson that we can get from this CRAZY BULLYING is that we as parents should really check on our kids not just to make sure that they are not being bullied but also to make sure that they are not doing the bullying!! I'm sure this is a wake up call to most. who knows if they would have carried out thier cowardly act, was it peer preasure? but with all the crazy things in the news of kids killing for no reason or setting kids on fire seems to most as just CRAZY but the facts are that if they had a plan and knifes were brought to the game there should be a punishment that lets ALL kids know that this is just wrong and if you hear kids talking of a plan like this let some adult know. Thank GOD for the boy that texted the victim (that kid has some gonads) he knew that it was wrong and did something about it. To him I say he's a HERO and should be treated as one, not getting bullied by some punks at school, the kids that says he's not is scumbags like the bullies. I am so glad that we as parents can talk about this and learn from it ,rather then be mourning the loss of such a well liked child . As for the parents of the accused WAKE UP your kids have some problems and you should help them get on the right path, There's one kid that has had nothing but problems in his life he's has a reputation of being a bully and a trouble maker and what does his parents do they turn a blind eye, and tell him your a good kid it,s ALL the other kids with the problems,WELL WAKE UP and get your kid the help he needs before he has the idea to KILL someone else!!!!!!! The parents have failed becuase if your kid gets kicked out of school and you let him GO TO THE MOVIES well that just says you SUCK as parents
This article is more evidence that bullying is a national tragedy affecting young people across America and throughout Massachusetts. We all need to take action against the source of bullying and let kids, parents, teachers, principals and politicians know that bullying is NOT okay. We all need to do something to make a difference. An amazing young singer-songwriter named Becca Levy is doing just that. She has started a music based anti bullying group called Right Now. Here’s a link to her video for a cover of “Right Now” by Van Halen. The purpose of the video is to promote awareness to kids using both music and the Internet. The video begins with a public service announcement and is full of statistics that people of all ages need to see. Becca lives in Washington, D.C. and just turned sixteen years old. www.rightnowagainstbullying.com