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Rogers High student's tweet, Web boasts may draw felony charge (update)
Minneapolis Star-Tribune ^ | February 18, 2014 | Paul Walsh and Paul Levy

Posted on 02/19/2014 8:02:13 AM PST by Colonel_Flagg

Boasts about sexual conquests on a now-deleted Web page could trigger felony charges against a popular Rogers High School student athlete and others, the latest twist in a swirl of accusations, comments and protest involving social media.

The furor in the Elk River Area School District on Tuesday transcended the dispute over a controversial tweet by the student and exposed the sexually explicit and often vicious exchanges that fill popular online pages created by students at many Minnesota schools. The anonymous posts include bragging messages, accusations and insults directed at students, teachers and others.

Rogers Police Chief Jeff Beahen said the “Rogers Confessions” page on ask.fm attracted many such “sexually charged” submissions. Some referred to a physical education teacher at the high school who was also the target of a Twitter exchange several days ago that led to a more-than-two-month suspension of senior Reid Sagehorn. Sagehorn, the 17-year-old captain of the school’s football and basketball teams, is accused of tweeting, apparently sarcastically, that he “actually, yes” was in an improper relationship with her. “It’s like screaming ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theater or ‘I have a bomb’ on an airplane,” Beahen said Tuesday of the possible felony charges, not long after supporters of Sagehorn held a protest outside the school. “If you say something on a very public forum, there are consequences. This young, innocent teacher is the victim here.”

(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: clintonian; education; minnesota; nojoke; notagoodkid; punkmf; putsomeiceonit; slander; socialmedia; sportsworship; suehispunkass; waronwomen
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To: csvset

Yes, getting BJs in the oval office offends my sense of propriety. But it has nothing to do with what we are talking about.


81 posted on 02/19/2014 10:27:35 AM PST by DManA
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To: DManA
It's all about sex. Didn't he imply that's what happened between him and this teacher? Hmmm....

Very Clintonian of you and the slimy punk. Perhaps the punk can parse the meaning of “actually, yes”.

82 posted on 02/19/2014 10:36:25 AM PST by csvset
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To: csvset
slimy punk

You self righteous puke.

83 posted on 02/19/2014 10:46:25 AM PST by DManA
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To: DManA

Standby your little man, Hillary!

A little music for you.

stand by your man

It's a conspiracy against the "good kid".

Hillary Clinton: Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy

Be sure he can parse what the meaning of, "actually, yes", is.

84 posted on 02/19/2014 10:57:15 AM PST by csvset
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To: jocon307
"I just don’t see how this is criminal behavior. "

If the reporting is true (and we don't know if it is) then the kid falsely accused the teacher of rape.

A felony in any jurisdiction.

85 posted on 02/19/2014 10:58:35 AM PST by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: csvset

Why don’t you post a picture of Hitler?


86 posted on 02/19/2014 11:03:18 AM PST by DManA
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To: DManA

Clinton is good enough for the punk.


87 posted on 02/19/2014 11:05:06 AM PST by csvset
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To: DManA
You seem to believe your opinion the most valid but offer zero substance as to why that may or may not be other than defiance and foot stomping. You come across as a petulant child.

I am really trying to be reasonable here and am willing to listen to your reasons why you believe the way you do.

IOW, you need to back up your argument with a little more than "because you said so".

Something, anything. As it stands you seem to think there should be zero consequences for what the kid implied, even though the teacher in question has suffered tangible and possible irreparable harm to her good name.

Why? Why should the kid get a pass????

"Because he is a good kid" or even worse, "because he did not do this" is simply putting your head in the sand.

Substance man! I need substance!

So far you got nothing.

I happen to believe in accountability, that holding someone responsible for their words and actions will help both them and society because ideally the result of consequences is to regulate peoples behavior and words, that if you let them off the hook they will continue in their poor behavior.

All you seem to offer is "well there was no poor behavior". BS! If that's the full weight of your argument you are a fool and I my job is done here.

Have the last word, but please make it count.

88 posted on 02/19/2014 11:33:58 AM PST by Manic_Episode (GOP = The Whig Party)
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To: DManA

Clinton got in trouble for lying about sex, as so should this punk.


89 posted on 02/19/2014 11:38:32 AM PST by csvset
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To: Manic_Episode

I read the post. Same as you. It’s NOTHING!!


90 posted on 02/19/2014 12:04:04 PM PST by DManA
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To: DManA

If I’m reading this right, he is accusing the teacher of statutory rape.

How many times on FR have I seen posts angered over false rape charges? Many.

Why is this case different?


91 posted on 02/19/2014 12:19:05 PM PST by Aurorales (I will not be ridiculed into silence!)
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To: DManA

He is not innocent. At the very least he is a liar. His lie has damaged the reputation and livelihood of another person.

Stop making him out to be a saint.


92 posted on 02/19/2014 12:21:42 PM PST by Aurorales (I will not be ridiculed into silence!)
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To: Mariner
"If the reporting is true (and we don't know if it is) then the kid falsely accused the teacher of rape. A felony in any jurisdiction."

Indeed, and the reporting was that there were other incriminating posts, so there might be more liability.

93 posted on 02/19/2014 12:29:10 PM PST by Truth29
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To: Mariner

“A felony in any jurisdiction.”

Well, I read the article and it wasn’t very clear so I offer this with a grain of salt.

It seems that what he did was assent to a statement that he and the teacher were having an affair. It certainly could be construed as an accusation, but I really think that’s a bit of a stretch. He most likely regarded his posting as part of a casual conversation. If I tell my friend a lie about another person, say that my date raped me or my husband beat me, but I don’t go to the police, have I committed a felony?

It’s also possible that he did not mean to assent to the suggestion, perhaps he meant something along the line of “yeah, right (not)”.

I’d hate to see someone’s life ruined because they left off the sarc tag.


94 posted on 02/19/2014 12:29:24 PM PST by jocon307
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To: Aurorales

You are reading it wrong.


95 posted on 02/19/2014 12:37:39 PM PST by DManA
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To: DManA

Update on this story:

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/246200561.html

After meeting with the family of a popular Rogers High School student-athlete who was suspended for two months for a potentially misunderstood tweet, Elk River District Superintendent Mark Bezek said Wednesday that school officials are now “pursuing to craft a different outcome, but one that will still make an impact.”

(snip)

The county attorney’s office has received the case from police and is now considering what charges — anything from a misdemeanor to a felony or none at all — are warranted.


96 posted on 02/19/2014 3:15:55 PM PST by Colonel_Flagg (Some people meet their heroes. I raised mine. Go Army.)
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To: DManA
What is being done to this kid is insane. To charge him with a felony is unconscionable.

Assume this kid is white? A black or hispanic would not be punished.

97 posted on 02/19/2014 5:38:52 PM PST by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Still bitterly clinging to rational thought despite it's unfashionability)
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To: cherry

In the original tweet scandal, it seemed he was actually the one being attacked; some anonymous tweeter claimed he had had sex with the teacher. There are many ways to respond to such an attack, and it appears he chose sarcasm, deflecting the charge by claiming it was true.

It seems odd to make such a response into an attack on the teacher. The original tweet might be considered defaming the teacher, but to claim this kid defamed her by trying to respond to a defaming comment made against him seems bizarre.

Now, I have no idea what the other things are that were posted to the web site, or if those are what is going to get him a felony charge.

I thought it funny that he actually got suspended for more weeks for his snide comeback to the original tweet than some female teachers get for actually having sex with students.


98 posted on 02/19/2014 7:13:15 PM PST by CharlesWayneCT
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To: CharlesWayneCT
It seems odd to make such a response into an attack on the teacher

How is it not an attack on the teacher? Hey that teacher had sex with a minor, yep sure did....

The teacher should be rightly offended.

His supporters responded with threats against the teacher, who apparently was innocent of everything.

99 posted on 02/19/2014 7:16:00 PM PST by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
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To: Truth29

Sounds like the principal doesn’t have any way to control his students, and cares more about protecting the teacher than actually helping students graduate and make it in the world.


100 posted on 02/19/2014 7:16:05 PM PST by CharlesWayneCT
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