(8119227) Group of teens harasses and threatens 15-year-old girl on social media because she had the audacity to press charges against one of their friends who violently assaulted her. Group learns witness intimidation is as illegal as assaulting someone
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Just curious on a point of US law. Subbs, says she girl wanted to "press charges" against the others. &Is this actually essential for the authorities to progress prosecution? &In the UK, the Crown Prosecution Service doesn't actually need the assistance of a victim to prosecute a suspect. It helps in court for the alleged victim to give evidence, but not required. Wonder what the situation is in the USA?
My understanding is that the police don't need permission per se, but if the offended party refuses to cooperate with the investigation to the point that a conviction couldn't be reasonably guaranteed, then there is a de facto "not pressing charges".
If the police find a domestic where one partner has been obviously assaulted, they will arrest the less beaten party regardless of what the spouse says at that point.& But typically they act on filed complaints.
Worcester? Oh, there's a shock.As has been pointed out, that largely depends on the crime. For the most part, if a victim declines to press charges, the prosecutors won't pursue it, but that's not very common for serious crimes. I've mostly seen it with minor property crimes where the accused has agreed to make restitution directly to the victim.
"declines to press charges". That's the point I was asking about. A victim, as I understand it, has no real say in whether a prosecution goes ahead, or not for that matter.
In most cases, it is up to the victim to press charges, but because domestic violence cases often have victims changing their minds, some states have passed laws authorizing the prosecution to proceed without the victim pressing charges, which can be a bit daunting since US law forbids compelling one to testify against one's spouse. For the most part, unless you are talking about a very serious crime, if the only person harmed by the crime is the victim or the victim's property, then the victim will have to press charges for the prosecution to go forward.
.....victim will have to press charges for the prosecution to go forward..... &Does this in fact mean "victim will have to support prosecutors&for the prosecution to go forward".
"Support" how?
Make a statement and give evidence in court.
I love coming to Fark to read what people think the rules of Criminal Procedure are.Anyway, those kids farked up since Witness Intimidation is a more serious offense than simple assault.
:Anyway, those kids farked up since Witness Intimidation is a more serious offense than simple assault.That was what i thought, Witness Intimidation almost always leads to Jail Time.
Most likely, yes. The accused have a Constitutional right to face their accusers in open court in the U.S.
Identical. As noted above, if the victim refuses to help the prosecution and refuses to testify against the defendant, it may be difficult to&secure a conviction, but it's not required. For example, if there's tons of other evidence, then the victim testimony may be unnecessary.
So, "press charges" is just an expression people have the habit of using. Utterly meaningless. Many thanks.
totes good
Murder victims rarely press charges, the wankers.
There was a woman around my parts arrested for assault on her husband last year.& The times they are a-changin.
I'd say "utterly meaningless" is a bit of an overstatement.
It is utterly meaningless since very few states allow for citizens to swear out warrants.
Interesting, kids still have to deal with consequences this day in age....that's weird.
true.In RI, they arrest the man no matter what.And he gets 5 years and $5k fine.no matter what.
"Press charges" is sometimes used by non lawyer types meaning to report the crime."The asshole pushed me down but I'm not hurt so I'm going to let it go and not press charges." Meaning I see no need to call the police on this one.
Oh come on, witness tampering is a time-honored tradition. Will we lose everything to the stoic march of modernity???
Legally, it's meaningless. Practically, prosecutors are less likely to pursue charges against someone if the victim doesn't want them to, depending, of course, on the type and seriousness of the crime.
Been in a lot of domestic abuse situations, have you?
Then you don't know what you're talking about.Jesus Christ I am sick of that shiat around here.
personally known many women who don't even bother to call the police, no matter what happened to them.
So you don't hear about them, and you never would, because you wouldn't give a fark anyway.
Go play with your guns and dream of the day when women will stop oppressing you.
Most of them are barely 'Teens' being 18 and 19.& They are not going to be treated kindly by the judicial systemYour friend owes you big for what you are about to go through
: dittybopper: Marcus Aurelius: If the police find a domestic where one partner has been obviously assaulted, they will arrest the less beaten&male party regardless of what the spouse says at that point.FTFY.shut up. Been in a lot of domestic abuse situations, have you? Then you don't know what you're talking about.Jesus Christ I am sick of that shiat around here. I have personally known many women who don't even bother to call the police, no matter what happened to them. So you don't hear about them, and you never would, because you wouldn't give a fark anyway. Go play with your guns and dream of the day when women will stop oppressing Your fark handle is perfect.
For fair consideration: these teenagers are not rich.
Birds of a feather flock together.
If the evidence of a crime consists of a statement from the victim, then technically prosecutors can proceed regardless of the victim's wishes. By "press" the charges, that means continue to agree to the prosecution. Prosecutors can always ignore the victim's wishes, but they rarely do so in the case of minor assault or property crimes.Initially "making" charges means swearing a statement of charges for a&warrant, which can lead to an arrest. But police and prosecutors have pretty much the same discretion they have in the U.K. I think they tend to be a bit more proactive in pursuing a case in the UK regardless of the victim' the rules of evidence are slightly different, as is the culture. American juries are more state- they prefer to think of a criminal case as involving justice for the victim as much as for society.
Kind of look like these minors are going to get a lessons in threats, harassment, and assaults.
Over at my MEN'S RIGHTS subreddit we were talking about this just the other day.&& And that's another thing, why is it that women say they like nice guys, but they never like me?& Buncha prickteases is all they are.& If only they'd like me... then I'd make 'em pay!& Oh, why won't they like me?
lol, having been at my best friends house (with two other friends) when his ex showed up, called the police from the parking lot and said he assaulted her... yes, the cops did indicate that they were going to arrest my best friend for domestic assault. The only minor problems with her story was that 1) the two friends who were also there were cops and 2) my best friend had been at work all day and wasn't actually at the house. Of course, what did the cops do when they found out she had lied to them and placed a false 911 call... absolutely farking nothing at all. (he got a restraining order against her the next day to try to keep that kind of behavior to a minimum).
This group of bullies are going to get bullied by the biggest bully of them all,& the US gubment. The gubment gonna take their momma and daddy's money and their GTA time. Even probation serves a purpose here. Little jerkwads can't stay out of trouble regardless of their court ordered status and probation is an efficient way to introduce them into the system.
Exactly right. The DA files charges, not citizens. The DA may choose not to file charges without cooperation from the victim, though.
Nope - Especially given that the girl is a minor they can charge anybody who commits a crime against her no matter what she says.& The practical matter about 'pressing charges' basically means that the victim is willing to give testimony and all that, possibly making themselves a pain in the butt if charges don't occur.& The prosecutor takes this into consideration.& In many cases witness testimony by the victim can make or break a trial, so they often don't charge if the victim doesn't want them to.It's not 'utterly' meaningless because it still describes a situation in a shorthand way pretty well.& We know what 'refuses to press charges' means.Your Results Will Vary.& I've known women who WON'T call the cops on their abusive husband/boyfriend because, in her opinion, their actions would be gross overkill...There are areas where there's an unstated policy of 'the man goes to jail in DV cases, no matter what'.& Well, the generally avoid getting too stupid such as arresting the man when the woman shows up at HIS house when he has a restraining order against her, but if they both live there, both have injuries, the man's getting arrested.& Sometimes without significant investigation.& I've seen some reports that women commit DV as much as men do, they just aren't as effective at it.
Then can we please put Nancy Grace in jail.
I'm sure their lawyers will all argue this a is a free speech issue and there was no need to get all handcuffy.
No, and it is a common misnomer. &"Pressing charges" is a power that lies entirely with the state. & A victim of a crime can decide if they want to testify, generally, but the decision to go to trial is a prosecutor's decision, not a victim's.Cops will often use this&as a way to get out of doing paperwork, because they are generally lazy slobs. & "Oh, that lady who's husband just beat the shiat out of her doesn't want to press charges, and I'm getting off shift in 20 minutes, so that all works out. & Nothing to see here."
Hey, where are&the "yep, that's about what I expect from this kind of thug demographic" comments? Y'know, world-wise statements about how middle-class, white Massachusetts teens need to get their "stop-snitchin'" house in order before the rest of us need to care about their plight?
Just curious. &Are you a practicing attorney? &I try to highlight all the legitimate lawyers (as opposed to the Fark School of GED Lawyers) so I know who to pay attention to on matters of law.
Execution would be better and last longer.
Let's have an injustice off shall we? Because it's certainly more important to be seen as the bigger victim, than to acknowledge that our society has all manner of iniquities.
Not at present. &But to answer your ultimate query, I'm not a Fark School of GED Law Graduate.
Probably because there were other witnesses.& Typically, the guy can be bleeding from every orifice, and if& the woman has her hair mussed up a bit, the guy will take the ride.
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Click here to submit a link.By Kyle Olson
Shares 83There are no old women in Cranston, Rhode Island, apparently.
Sue Stenhouse, the city’s director of senior services, held a press conference recently to promote a snow shoveling program.
Photos and video from the event show Stenhouse speaking to reporters with a person sitting behind her with a badge reading, “Cranston Senior Home Resident,” according to the Boston Globe.
Courtesy: NBC 10
It turned out the elderly woman was actually David Roberts, a van driver for the senior center, wearing a wig, earrings, lipstick and a dress.
It’s unclear why Stenhouse had a man stand in for an elderly woman for the event. And it turns out he wasn’t the only fake thing at the press conference.
The pile of snow, which was actually ice shavings from a Zamboni, was courtesy of a local hockey rink.
Stenhouse resigned after the incident. Rob Coupe, the city’s director of administration, wouldn’t discuss that development, calling it a “personnel matter,” CBS 4 .
“He says to me, ‘Elaine, do you have a wig that I could borrow? I have to get dressed as a senior,’” salon owner Elaine Mancuso says. She later realized what Roberts was allegedly up to.
“I said, ‘Oh, my God. He wanted it for that.’ I probably would have given him a better wig if I had known.”
Stenhouse didn’t appreciate being confronted over the incident.
“I’ve been in a meeting all night being a great public servant for the city of Warwick,” Stenhouse tells . “Now, I get this bullsh*t. And you guys did not reach out to me. And that was a big lie on the news.”
The news station disputes her claims.
Watch the ambush here:
Stenhouse was paid $54,491 per year as director prior to her resignation.
& The American Mirror 2016SAN JACINTO: 8-year-old girl recovering after being hit by school bus - Press Enterprise
SAN JACINTO: 8-year-old girl recovering after being hit by school bus
The 8-year-old remained hospitalized Wednesday but showed no signs of head trauma, a school district official says.
  
SAN JACINTO: 8-year-old girl recovering after being hit by school bus
An 8-year-old San Jacinto elementary school student is recovering from injuries she suffered after she ran in front of a school bus Tuesday afternoon.
The girl, whose name has not been released, showed no signs of head trauma in an examination at Riverside County Regional Medical Center after the 3:25 p.m. accident, said Seth Heeren, executive director of business services for the San Jacinto Unified School District. He said the girl remained hospitalized Wednesday and was being treated for injuries. She is expected to recover, he said. A California Highway Patrol news release said she suffered a foot and head injury.
Classes let out at Jose Antonio Estudillo Elementary School, where she is enrolled in third grade, at 3:15 p.m., Heeren said. The school bus had picked up 15 students at Park Hill Elementary and was headed to Estudillo.
According to the Highway Patrol, as the bus approached, the girl turned east and ran into the street toward the bus. The left front of the bus struck her, and she was thrown under the left front tire.
“The bus driver, Cindi Allen, a resident of Hemet, was able to quickly stop the bus before the rear tires struck the girl,” the release said.
No one else was injured.
A school district administrator rode with the 15 students on the bus for the remainder of their ride following the accident.
The Highway Patrol is investigating. The status of the bus driver was not immediately available.
Heeren said school district officials will debrief officials at the schools, but will not be implementing safety-related changes, if any, until the investigation is complete.
Counselors and district support staff members were dispatched to both schools Wednesday morning, Heeren said, to "assist concerned students and to assist teachers to make sure that students feel safe.
"We told all staff to continue to relay to students the importance of traffic safety and obeying all the traffic laws," he said.
San Jacinto schools Superintendent Diane Perez was quoted in a news release as saying student safety is a top priority.
"We are very concerned for the students involved in the incident," she was quoted. "We are gathering as much information as we can and are implementing our protocols for this type of occurrence."
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