Posted on 08/20/2007 11:32:16 AM PDT by rednesss
Judge dismisses sexual harassment charges against 2 Ore. teens
08/20/2007
By WILLIAM McCALL / Associated Press
Two 13-year-old boys accused of slapping girls' bottoms and poking or cupping girls' breasts at school apologized on Monday as a judge dismissed charges against the two, ending a six-month case that drew national attention.
The charges triggered a debate over whether such behavior in school should be considered criminal.
Four girls listed as victims by the prosecutors had asked the judge to drop the charges against Cory Mashburn and Ryan Cornelison.
Yamhill County Judge John Collins did so on Monday, saying it was in the "interest of justice."
A number of young girls were in the courtroom during the hearing. They included at least some of the four who asked that the charges be dropped, attorneys said.
During the brief hearing, the two boys faced the girls and apologized.
"I never intended to hurt you in any way," Mashburn said.
Cornelison told the girls: "I hope we can still be friends."
The News-Register newspaper of McMinnville reported that a "civil compromise" reached by prosecutors and the defense called for both boys to apologize, to pay each of the four girls $250 and to complete a "boundaries education" program.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys said they could not comment on the newspaper report or release details of the settlement because they are confidential.
Pressure has been building on prosecutors to drop the charges, with critics saying they had blown the matter out of proportion and were overzealous.
The boys, apparently inspired by the movie "Jackass," were accused in police reports of swatting girls on the bottom in a school corridor, grabbing girls' breasts on at least two occasions, teaming up to "dry hump" girls, poking girls' breasts and engaging in what's known as "party boy" dancing mimicking sexual intercourse.
They were originally charged with felony sex abuse, misdemeanor sex abuse and sexual harassment in February. Amid growing public opposition to sending the boys to prison and putting them on a sex offenders' registry, prosecutors first dropped the felony sex abuse charges and later the misdemeanor sex abuse charges, leaving the sexual harassment counts.
The judge dismissed the final charges following negotiations between prosecutors and the defense, and discussions with the four girls about whether they wanted the case dismissed.
I was treated like this by a boy in high school. I wouldn’t have wanted him arrested but boy if I had it to do over, I’d kick him as hard as I could. Between his legs.
When I was growing up, this sort of behavior was “controlled” by the alpha males (jocks, JROTC and FFA) at school. With the clear understanding that such would not be tolerated.
Actually, touching a female’s breast or buttocks qualifies as sexual assault in most jurisdictions. I think males who do this should go to jail. And, apparently, these guys did it repeatedly.
Just males, huh???? So a 3 year old male who does that should go to jail??? Do you have some boundaries to your draconian views????
Should the same standard apply to females?
Problem solved.
Common sense isn’t a strong point for you I see.
IOW, Liberal Re-Education Camp
Of course not, don’t be silly.
A sillier case, I have never heard.
Yeah. There are boundaries. These boys were old enough to know better, and to know that there were sexual implications to what they were doing. That’s was the law requires.
They weren’t just being “cute.”
Actually, yeah. If a woman grabbed a man’s genitals, that would be sexual assault, as well.
What do you mean?? Or do you just toss around ad hominem attacks??? Or is civil debate not a strong point for you???
You want to send 13-year-old boys who have committed no violent offenses, to jail.
We need less lawyers, especially ones like you -- and more cannon fodder to probe for IED's in Iraq.
Be a patriot!
So by your reasoning, the new age of consent should be 13 because they “know better” at that age????
You said 3 year old. Thats implausible and not even realistic.
No one with a brain would ever arrest a toddler for any such thing.
I think women who believes the slightest infraction between males and females should result in a jail sentence should lighten up.
If a man fondles you and you didn't want him to, slap him in the face or find someone "woman enough" to do it for you.
Let's send all male breast-fed babies to jail, too. They certainly grab at a female's breasts.
That's what is wrong with our legal system today -- no common sense.
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