Girls' retractions don't halt sex charges ("...testified she felt coerced by investigators")

KATU-TV2 (Oregon) ^ | March 21, 2007 | Bob Heye and KATU Web Staff

[Stoat]

Girls' retractions don't halt sex charges

Story Published: Mar 20, 2007 at 8:00 PM PST

Story Updated: Mar 21, 2007 at 12:58 PM PST

By Bob Heye and KATU Web Staff

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. - Newly released court transcripts in the case of two McMinnville boys facing sex abuse charges detail how two of the alleged victims recanted their claims.

The boys, Cory Mashburn and Ryan Cornelison, face the equivalent of felony sex abuse charges. In court, Yamhill County authorities have said their investigation showed the boys, ages 12 and 13, slapped female classmates on their buttocks numerous times over several weeks and poked their breasts.

According to authorities, the boys were sometimes acting out a character known as 'Party Boy' from a movie based on a popular MTV television series.

In transcripts released by Mashburn's attorney, one 12-year-old girl identified as "M" testified she felt coerced by investigators.

"I did really feel pressured in there, because, like, it was extremely uncomfortable in there. So I told them, yes, but it didn't hurt very much...Well, when the principal asked me stuff, I kind of felt pressured to answer stuff that I was uncomfortable, and that it hurt, but it really didn't."

A second alleged victim, "M2," said of police and prosecutors, "like, if they asked me a question, they kind of made you say what they wanted to hear."

When the prosecutors asked her if she had ever been "party-boyed," she said yes.

"What is your understanding of party boy?" the prosecutor asked.

"Just, like, kind of dancing, but they never touched you."

Prosecutors said other victims that did not testify in court that day have not changed their stories. Based on the accusations from those victims, they are going forward with charges.

Mashburn's attorney claims there are no other credible victims - and the charges against the boys should be dropped.

The next court appearance for both boys is April 23. But that may be pushed back because of a scheduling conflict.

In the meantime, despite retractions from those two girls, the charges against each of those boys have not changed.

[Stoat]

Ungentlemanly horseplay?  Yes.  Rude and inappropriate behavior?  Yes.  Completely improper conduct?  Yes.

But ".....the equivalent of felony sex abuse charges" ?

From this admittedly sparse article, it sounds as though this was something that could have (and should have) been handled by parents and teachers.

And with these new revelations of coercion on the part of the investigators, this whole thing stinks to high heaven.

Also see the video at the KATU-TV site.

Giving Credit where it's due...  I found this story because it was linked at Orbusmax

Orbusmax ™ Northwest News - 'Around The World In 80K'

[Stoat]

Oregon Ping

[GovernmentIsTheProblem]

I try to support the police, but then I read about idiotic things like this often enough that I just plain don't trust them.

[Stoat]

Another Reason to Homeschool Ping

[buccaneer81]

their investigation showed the boys, ages 12 and 13, slapped female classmates on their buttocks numerous times over several weeks and poked their breasts.

Holy Crap! Had I been born 30 years later, I would be serving a life sentence.

[Stoat]

I try to support the police, but then I read about idiotic things like this often enough that I just plain don't trust them.

Would you really say that the police are at fault in this instance, or would you say that this is the fault of overzealous prosecutors and perhaps a culture of militant, over-reactive feminism?

[Sherman Logan]

An appropriate response would be paddling these boys in front of the entire school.

And remedial training in gentlemanly behavior.

[buccaneer81]

Would you really say that the police are at fault in this instance, or would you say that this is the fault of overzealous prosecutors and perhaps a culture of militant, over-reactive feminism?

Yes, across the board.

[brytlea]

While I agree with you, I gotta think that one reason for this sort of silly outcome is that many parents are NOT doing their jobs. I may be wrong, but my experience with parents tells me that in many cases the parents would do nothing. Many kids are just clueless about what is really inappropriate, because they see this behavior on tv all the time, and no one is really spending any time to teach them.
I would hate to see them with felony convictions, however. Firm, real discipline from a parent would be far better. But I'm not holding my breath.
susie

[GovernmentIsTheProblem]

"Would you really say that the police are at fault in this instance, or would you say that this is the fault of overzealous prosecutors and perhaps a culture of militant, over-reactive feminism?"

All of the above.

--A second alleged victim, "M2," said of police and prosecutors, "like, if they asked me a question, they kind of made you say what they wanted to hear."--

[JB in Whitefish]

It won't be too much longer now and they'll be arresting baby boys for breast feeding, charging them with sexual assault, and sentencing them to post-natal abortion....!!!

[Phil Southern]

>Holy Crap! Had I been born 30 years later, I would be serving a life sentence.

Yes, so would I, and quite a few of the "ladies" in my class too.....if the "laws" were equally applied.....as it was we has to write sentences and get paddlings. Maybe my teachers should be prosecuted for abuse too.

[Hi Heels]

I had a boy slug a girl in church once. Took him to see the deacon and an elderly gentleman of 100+ years old. They spoke to him for about an hour about proper behavior becoming a young gentleman. An hour solid.

Then he got to apologize in front of everyone before he got to sweep the parking lot so he had time to think about it all. Never had a spot of trouble with him again.

[Stoat]

--A second alleged victim, "M2," said of police and prosecutors, "like, if they asked me a question, they kind of made you say what they wanted to hear."--

I was so incensed by this matter that I missed this line indicating that the police were also implicated in the coercion.  I retract my question and apologize for questioning your more-careful reading of the story.

"standing in corner"

(sniffle)

[Hi Heels]

I gotta agree with you on this one. Too many parents are so involved in their own pleasures and so selfish with their time that the kids ethical education suffers. Any kid at this age who doesn't know better than to pull the crap these kids did just aren't getting what they need at home. They should be educated enough to know to turn the channel if something this assinine comes on let alone repeating it.

Felony charges are a little stiff. Plenty of community service to perform and a trip to the woodshed. Too bad the felony charges of poor guidance can't be levied at the parents.

[Sherman Logan]

Sounds like it would work.

[JLS]

Would you really say that the police are at fault in this instance, or would you say that this is the fault of overzealous prosecutors and perhaps a culture of militant, over-reactive feminism?

Of course the police are at fault. The same people that would release the dogs on protesters in Birmingham, roughly treat abortion protesters in Atlanta, will do this. Some people like to push other people around. Some of them become police. They don't really care if the people they are allowed by society to push around are black, white religious people or young boys.

The prosecutors etal are at fault too. But face it some people relish the idea of getting the power of the state to bully others.

[Stoat]

Please see my post #14. I didn't catch that sentence and thought that the 'investigators' were State child-welfare workers, as has been the case in some other overblown sex-abuse cases, such as the infamous one in Wenatchee.

[kinoxi]

Something is amiss here.

[brytlea]

Alot of people disagree with me, but I think we would have far better parenting if parents had to suffer *some* consequences for their kids actions.
susie