“Authorities say a 16-year-old from Toppenish who was shot while allegedly assaulting residents while burglarizing their home is paralyzed, and it remains unclear if prosecutors will pursue charges as a result...”
And even better later in the same article: “He said he did not know the status of the referral, but anticipated prosecutors may not pursue charges in the near future due to concerns over medical expenses the county would have to pay if it jails the teenager...”
Why not charge him? Try the S.O.B.! If he is paralyzed the taxpayer is going to be footing the bill for his criminally induced disability claim and E.B.T. card anyway. Might as well put him the slammer to cut down on his breeding options. Side benefit is he won’t be limping along slowing down the supermarket checkout line!
The county doesn’t want to pay the hundreds of thousands in medical expenses this kid is racking up at Harborview (#1 trauma center in the state). They will most likely charge him sometime in the next couple of years before the statute of limitations runs out. They’ve done this a couple of times in the past.