Girl, 14, Arrested for Text-Messaging in School

Girl, 14, Arrested for Text-Messaging in School

www.foxnews.com

Here's another way for teenagers to get in trouble with the law — text-message while in school.

According to a police report posted by The Smoking Gun Web site, a 14-year-old girl in Wauwatosa, Wis., a prosperous Milwaukee suburb, was charged with disorderly conduct on Feb. 11 for repeatedly text-messaging during class.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is ridiculous. Maybe she should have gotten detention or suspended but not arrested. The police have too much power against the people in this country. Maybe we should embrace anarchy oh wait we already have, the people who are supposed to serve us are using guerrilla warfare against the small people, and no one is doing a damn thing to stop it.

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I wonder what her last message she sent was?

how do you make the text shorthand for handcuffs?

babum chaa!


hey. it's a police state.. what do you expect?

it's not about texting...
it's about compliance.

-

[edit on 19-2-2009 by prevenge]

There are detention and suspension options in place for a reason.
I know she was likely being belligerent toward her teacher regarding the issue... but this school has now tarnished her record, and that doesn't go away.

All they had to do was enforce a detention or suspension, is that so hard?

Some idiots out there just don't think before reacting.

I was arrested last year, he left my phone with me and I text everyone to get thereselves down to the jail and get me. haha, they really need to get a life wherever she's at, and its just texting. C'mon

Maybe she's being thrown in jail for money.

It's not beyond belief anymore. And with the illegitimate charges filed I cannot see this as anything other than a scheme of some kind.

Originally posted by prevenge
I wonder what her last message she sent was?

help call my lawyer ?

it's not about texting...
it's about compliance.

so you think that there shoud be no rules ?

First off, the girl lied about having a cell phone to the school administrator and the cop.

According to the report, she also repeatedly denied to school authorities and law-enforcement officers that she even had a phone on her person.

Then she gave false statement about phone numbers she was dialing in class.

"She gave me several numbers all being false by one or two digits wrong. [Redacted] stated I was dialing the wrong numbers so On [sic] speaker phone I dialed the number she gave me and spoke with a subject who stated I had the wrong number."

Then after denying she even had a phone, the phone headset was found shoved down her backside.

After a female officer was called to the scene, a body search revealed that the defiant teen had stuffed her handset — said to be a Samsung Cricket — down the back of her pants.

I think for starters, this kid had no business dialing phone numbers or text messaging in class to begin with, then to lie about even having the phone to both the school and the cop, forced the issue from a simple offense to outright lying about it to a police officer.

She was charged with disorderly conduct.

Why the school called the cops is still unkown, but something had to have happend for them to call in the cops.

All the evidence in the report so far does not paint this 14 yr old kid as one of complete "lil ol me" innocent. It appears this kid brought upon herself all the trouble she is in.

She should have been paying attention to class instead of paying attention to text messaging on a cell phone she claims she never had.


Cheers!!!!

reply to post by RFBurns


Since when is who's numbers I dailed anyones business much less the police? Maybe if we're talking a terrorist or something but a 14 year old girl? And then a body search (is that a strip search?) for the phone?!? Of a 14 year old girl?!?

Having a phone in school may be against the rules of the school but it is in no way a violation of any laws. They had no business calling the police on her.

She's a minor and I hope the cops contacted her parents before performing this search.

[edit on 19-2-2009 by XTexan]

reply to post by XTexan


I agree. Nothing here is legally justified. None of it.
There are Constitutional rights and even those who are the youngest among us have them. Otherwise having a cell phone is probable cause. And this is not a good thing.

[edit on 19-2-2009 by projectvxn]

reply to post by projectvxn


Agreed, completely unjustified... She broke no laws, the police had no business to even show up much less search her. I look forward to hearing about the lawsuit that follows this.

reply to post by XTexan


Did you bother to read the report? It says she was charged with disorderly conduct, not charged with having a cell phone in school.

I believe that disorderly conduct is an arrestable offense.


Cheers!!!!

Zero tolerance Policy in the school?

Some would say that phone txting is no different than passing notes in class. The difference is that there is no way of knowing in what context the txting was. Suspicion and speculation could come up with drug dealing, prostitution or any number of illegal activities.

Police involvement may have been a result of her non-compliance to questioning by school officials. As a minor, you do not have full protection of the Constitution unless legally emancipated by parents or legal guardian.

The charge is a light one and will be expunged at 18 if she even receives a conviction. The charge can be dropped or dismissed. She may have to do some sort of community service but unlikely given her age.

I feel that this is a non-story.

reply to post by RFBurns


Disorderly conduct, which consisted of what? Having a cell phone and using it in school? If she physically threatened the teacher then I could see calling the cops but.. A 14 year old using a phone in school is a school issue and should have been handled by the school in conjuction with the parents.

As far as I can see there is no justification of calling a 14 year old using a phone in school "disorderly conduct".

reply to post by Ahabstar


According to the source the school didn't question her first:

It's not clear why school administrators felt they had to call the police, but the responding officer did all the dirty work — took the girl to the dean's office, questioned her, made a couple of trips to other classrooms to interview her friends.

[edit on 19-2-2009 by XTexan]

Originally posted by RFBurns
reply to post by XTexan

 

Did you bother to read the report? It says she was charged with disorderly conduct, not charged with having a cell phone in school.

I believe that disorderly conduct is an arrestable offense.


Cheers!!!!

Yes but what the girl was doing wasn't disorderly conduct. This is a 14 year old girl sending text messages on her phone, bothering no one but perhaps her teacher. All action should have stopped the second she stopped texting.

I imagine this whole thing erupted from the teacher trying to confiscate the girl's phone. I had a few similar incidents back when I was in high school. The teachers or administrators were told to confiscate phones the second they heard/saw them. Well that was ridiculous because everyone carried cell phones and even pulling it out during lunch hour to check the time was grounds to have it confiscated.

One time during class my teacher heard my phone ring (I had forgotten to set it to silent before class, rookie mistake) I promptly hung up and apologized, but she demanded I hand her my phone. I refused because the school won't release your phone to you that day, and I had calls to make (I was 18 and had a job at the time). The situation escalated to me being escorted off the school property by security (they walked me to my car and followed me out in their golf carts), and I was suspended for 3 days. Ridiculous? I think so.

I hope the girl seeks legal action against the school, as far as I'm aware school boards clam up nice and tight whenever they're facing unfavorable litigation. Maybe they'll think twice next time they want to strip search a girl for her phone headset.

This is a disgrace to law enforcement.
Obviously she got some crappy cops.
Which just created another lifelong fan, and future criminal.
That's what happens when you employ people with iq's under 80, and train them as robotic drones, I guess.
Its the luck of the draw.

Originally posted by Ahabstar
Zero tolerance Policy in the school?

Some would say that phone txting is no different than passing notes in class. The difference is that there is no way of knowing in what context the txting was. Suspicion and speculation could come up with drug dealing, prostitution or any number of illegal activities.

All cell phones keep a record of text messages, in the outbox or sent folder in the menu. What she was sending can easily be found, and to whom.

Originally posted by Ahabstar
Police involvement may have been a result of her non-compliance to questioning by school officials. As a minor, you do not have full protection of the Constitution unless legally emancipated by parents or legal guardian.

Many people seem to forget this fact. Being a minor is not a free ticket to not obeying any rules or laws.

Originally posted by Ahabstar
The charge is a light one and will be expunged at 18 if she even receives a conviction. The charge can be dropped or dismissed. She may have to do some sort of community service but unlikely given her age.

I feel that this is a non-story.

Indeed. People are just making it into a story because they simply dont want to see all of the facts of the case, only the particulars that ignore the wrong of the offender.

And I agree, most likely this kid will get a slap on the hand, charge dismissed, and she will get her non existant phone back and do it all over again the next day in school.


Cheers!!!!

RFBurns:

The problem is that these rules do NOT warrant police intervention. There was no violence and no allegations of any wrong doing. The police had no business there in the first place. This will not stick, and likely the parents will sue the school and the police department/school police involved.

reply to post by RFBurns


I'm not trying to make a big deal out of nothing here or anything like that. And I agree she will more than likely only get a slap on the wrist... I'm just saying that slap should have come from the school and her parents, not local law enforcement... they have bigger fish to fry than kids with phones in school.

I for one, am glad to see someone arrested for too much texting

It is beyond annoying to try and carry on a conversation with someone, and they text. It is beyond annoying to try and pay attention in class, when the 15 students sitting around you are texting their arses off during lecture (college). It is beyond annoying to ride with someone who texts while driving. Texting... is beyond annoying. I truly honestly believe that texting is a detriment to society. It's killing our language, it's killing people's attention span, it's dangerous as heck when driving. And so if you stopped texting in places when you should really be paying attention, then why the bloody heck don't you just call the person??? Did you know you can fit about 25 (guess) text messages into one 30 second phone conversation? If someone texts me, I call them.... when I'm not busy.

I have a cell phone... I see its importance for emergencies and what not.... but texting, worthless apps, internet.... it's all getting a bit beyond necessity don't you think? Isn't this the issue with Americans? We don't live within our means and we go after worthless dribble we don't need, but want?

Okay I'm done ranting... and if anyone actually made it this far, for heaven's sake I do NOT think the girl should have been arrested. It should have been dealt with in school by the teacher/principal. They should have taken away the phone plane and simple... and if she didn't comply I would hit her with a detention and if she texted in detention, I'd give her an extra detention for every text she sent. But arresting someone for texting is way out of bonds... but like someone said above... hey, we live in a police state! This is what we let happen!



[edit on 19-2-2009 by ImaNutter]