Posted on 02/23/2009 7:49:25 AM PST by Big_Monkey
(CNN) -- At a friend's sleepover more than a year ago, 14-year-old Phillip Swartley pocketed change from unlocked vehicles in the neighborhood to buy chips and soft drinks. The cops caught him. Hillary Transue was 15 when she appeared before a judge, accused of mocking a principal on MySpace.
Hillary Transue was 15 when she appeared before a judge, accused of mocking a principal on MySpace. Click to view previous image 1 of 3 Click to view next image
There was no need for an attorney, said Phillip's mother, Amy Swartley, who thought at most, the judge would slap her son with a fine or community service.
But she was shocked to find her eighth-grader handcuffed and shackled in the courtroom and sentenced to a youth detention center. Then, he was shipped to a boarding school for troubled teens for nine months.
"Yes, my son made a mistake, but I didn't think he was going to be taken away from me," said Swartley, a 41-year-old single mother raising two boys in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
CNN does not usually identify minors accused of crimes. But Swartley and others agreed to be named to bring public attention to the issue.
These judges should both spend a long, long time in prison.
And guess what? They were Democrats!
For what, pray tell?
Your post is long on hyperbole, short on substance.
Are we to agree with your assessment based upon what you have presented, or do you have a link to a more substantive story, which contains some facts that would tend to support your position?
These judges should be handed over to a mob of teenage sociopaths.
Wow. I normally am for punishing crime.....even going to extremes of death penalties for things like rape. But, wow.
This is ridiculous. These judges need to go to jail for a long time.
Do links to CNN not work? This was an excerpt, but there’s no excerpt link nor does the story link in the header.
There’s a lot more to this story. Somehow only an excerpt ended up getting posted here, but there has been a lot of coverage of this over the past few weeks. Really, truly, these judges should be executed. They’ve already screwed the taxpayers to the tune of millions, while ruining the lives of a bunch of kids who’d earned little more than a slap on the wrist. The idea that taxpayers are going to have to foot the hotel bill for these perps for the next 87 months, especially in this economy, is just appalling.
“There was no need for an attorney, said Phillip’s mother, Amy Swartley, who thought at most, the judge would slap her son with a fine or community service.”
There is always need for an attorney when appearing in court or being questionned by police for that matter.
If you go into someones car, I really don't care if you end up with a big sentence. They deserve it.
Here's the story...
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/23/pennsylvania.corrupt.judges/index.html
“Your post is long on hyperbole, short on substance.”
You must live under a rock. There have been numerous stories on this case. The judges received kick backs from the detention centers. They allowed and encouraged minors to go to court without an attorney.
They gave these kids prison time for even the most minor infractions regardless of the kids background.
They did it for the money and have plead guilty, sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison.
Bingo.
If the polive want information from me they can get it through my attorney.
“If you go into someones car, I really don’t care if you end up with a big sentence. They deserve it.’
They got a big sentence because the judges were getting kickbacks. Not because it was appropriate for the crime. Do you care about that?
I wouldn’t even allow the Judges to have KY jelly when they are sent to jail. Let them suffer more IMO.
For taking kickbacks from the operators of the 'youth facilities' in question. A crime that both judges have already pleaded guilty too.
Do a little research.
L
Theft is theft, and the boy in the first example should, imo, get the same sentence a 21-year-old in a similar case would get, based on the amount stolen, any property damage, prior criminal record, etc.
Mocking a principal on MySpace is just good clean fun, unless there were threats made. If the principal has an additional complaint about obscenity, perhaps, then there’s a civil case to be made against the girl and her parents.
Yeah, I didn't know that. Somehow, CNN "magically" left that out of the story. Surprise, Surprise.
don’t do the crime if ya can’t do the time.....
Why, yes, I do.
However, my mortgage is paid and I have no need of a government bailout.
You have a real nice day.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.