Indiana: High School Senior faces 8 years in prison for harmless prank

reply to post by starviego

Morton was arrested Tuesday after school surveillance cameras captured a picture of a man dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and wearing latex gloves, concealing a package and leaving without it. Believing it contained explosives, the school was evacuated and the Indiana State Police bomb squad was called in. It turns out that the package contained a blow-up doll placed in the girls' restroom. Police say that Morton admitted putting it there as a prank.

Sounds to me like he got what he deserved.

During the start of the millennium, we had school shootings and a terrorist attack. What did he expect?

If they were to let him get off easy, schools will suddenly look vulnerable to potential criminals and terrorists.

Planting a fake bomb is still an act of terrorism, for it causes psychological trauma and fear.

reply to post by starviego


Ok seriously?
This kid is really stupid. No doubt.
But why do people immediately assume the
only way to punish someone is jail time?
There's so many more options, especially for
someone who is just about to start his life as an adult.

He surely should be punished, but even a year in jail is ridiculous.
This is assuming he broke some kind of law of course, but
you're telling me that his first year being in the real world and college and possibly future opportunities should be thrown away over a pranks gone wrong? Make him pay it back and move on.

Originally posted by starviego
More police-state lunacy:

www.wthr.com...
A high school senior accused in a senior prank faced a judge Thursday.
The planned prank blew up in the face of 18-year-old Rushville High school Senior Tyell Morton, who is jailed and facing serious criminal charges.
"It's not right. It was a senior prank. They're blowing it out of proportion. I didn't hurt anybody, I didn't intend to embarrass anybody. What did I do wrong, you know?" Morton said Thursday.
Morton was arrested Tuesday after school surveillance cameras captured a picture of a man dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and wearing latex gloves, concealing a package and leaving without it. Believing it contained explosives, the school was evacuated and the Indiana State Police bomb squad was called in. It turns out that the package contained a blow-up doll placed in the girls' restroom. Police say that Morton admitted putting it there as a prank. ...
School officials say that the prank cost them over $8,000 and prosecutors don't see the humor.
"In this post-Columbine world, that's what you get when these kinds of things happen," said Rush County Prosecutor Phil Caviness.
Facing up to eight years in prison if convicted, Morton will also miss his high school graduation and isn't allowed on school property....
Morton, who has never been in trouble with the law is now wondering how a prank went wrong. His bond has been set at $30,000.

So he's NOT being punished for anything HE actually did at all... He's being punished because of what they mistakenly thought he did??? We can now be punished for their false ideas... AMAZING.

This just goes to show the NEW mentality of our hardcore police state. If they think you did something wrong--it doesn't matter if you actually did anything wrong at all--they WILL punish you either way. Criminality is no longer based on YOUR actions, but on THEIR perceptions.

Years ago, a guy from detroit came over to canada. He robbed a convienience store and shot
the store keeper through the head, they caught him .
guess what he got, 13 years

reply to post by PS3Geek

Seriously what did he expect ? I wouldn't say he deserves 8 years in prison but perhaps a year or so might teach him a lesson .

I cannot believe what you're saying and I cannot believe you got so many stars. Truly sad.

Lets have some fun in life okay? Lets pull more pranks. Let remember life is just a joke. Lets remember that terrorism doesnt exist. Lets remember 9/11 was an inside job. Lets keep the love. Putting someone behind bars because of a silly prank is very very disgusting.

Originally posted by Section31
reply to post by starviego

 

Morton was arrested Tuesday after school surveillance cameras captured a picture of a man dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and wearing latex gloves, concealing a package and leaving without it. Believing it contained explosives, the school was evacuated and the Indiana State Police bomb squad was called in. It turns out that the package contained a blow-up doll placed in the girls' restroom. Police say that Morton admitted putting it there as a prank.

Sounds to me like he got what he deserved.

During the start of the millennium, we had school shootings and a terrorist attack. What did he expect?

If they were to let him get off easy, schools will suddenly look vulnerable to potential criminals and terrorists.

Planting a fake bomb is still an act of terrorism, for it causes psychological trauma and fear.

edit on 6/4/2011 by Section31 because: (no reason given)

I have to disagree with you. He didn't plant a fake bomb. He planted a box that could have contained any infinite number of items or combinations of items. What was the justification to believe that the package was a bomb? Was it labeled "BOMB", did they hear it ticking, was there a cartoonish trail of gunpowder left behind him like a Tom & Jerry Cartoon??? Why would anyone see a package and automatically assume it's a bomb? When I was in highschool, I went in after hours and left a teddy bear and box of chocolates "gift wrapped" in my girlfriend's locker to surprise her for valentine's day. Should I be in prison? They could have just as easily assumed my package was a bomb, jumped the gun, and wasted tons of tax payer's resources on that...

Originally posted by HeretoSeek4
reply to post by starviego

 

He surely should be punished, but even a year in jail is ridiculous.
This is assuming he broke some kind of law of course, but
you're telling me that his first year being in the real world and college and possibly future opportunities should be thrown away over a pranks gone wrong? Make him pay it back and move on.

Although I can understand your perspective, you have to understand the opposite argument. Since his intent was to cause some sort of fear (through a prank), the psychological affects on other students can be very traumatic. As a result of his direct actions, people walked away from this situation with the sense of insecurity. When students are sitting in class or walking the halls, they need to know that we are doing everything to keep them safe. We need to protect the vulnerable innocent from both psychological and physical harm. Within the high school around my location, kids between the ages of 14 to 18 share one building.

Would you want your 14 year old to be in an environment, which the lack of security can lead to physical or psychological harm?

Originally posted by MiloNickels

Originally posted by Section31
reply to post by starviego

 

Morton was arrested Tuesday after school surveillance cameras captured a picture of a man dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and wearing latex gloves, concealing a package and leaving without it. Believing it contained explosives, the school was evacuated and the Indiana State Police bomb squad was called in. It turns out that the package contained a blow-up doll placed in the girls' restroom. Police say that Morton admitted putting it there as a prank.

Sounds to me like he got what he deserved.

During the start of the millennium, we had school shootings and a terrorist attack. What did he expect?

If they were to let him get off easy, schools will suddenly look vulnerable to potential criminals and terrorists.

Planting a fake bomb is still an act of terrorism, for it causes psychological trauma and fear.

edit on 6/4/2011 by Section31 because: (no reason given)

I have to disagree with you. He didn't plant a fake bomb. He planted a box that could have contained any infinite number of items or combinations of items. What was the justification to believe that the package was a bomb? Was it labeled "BOMB", did they hear it ticking, was there a cartoonish trail of gunpowder left behind him like a Tom & Jerry Cartoon??? Why would anyone see a package and automatically assume it's a bomb? When I was in highschool, I went in after hours and left a teddy bear and box of chocolates "gift wrapped" in my girlfriend's locker to surprise her for valentine's day. Should I be in prison? They could have just as easily assumed my package was a bomb, jumped the gun, and wasted tons of tax payer's resources on that...

So... When you see someone in a hooded sweatshirt and latex gloves, while carrying a box into a school, the first thing you should say is, "Its a prank. Don't worry about it"?

Keep in mind that he is walking into a building with innocent children.

They better keep an eye on the storage room, people come in and out of their all day leaving boxes with hoodies on sometimes im sure.

America, home of the brave ancestors, now land of the cowardly bastard children.

Wow, that was dumb. He deserves it.

People are already jumpy enough when it comes to stuff like this, his prank only exacerbates it.

Time, cost, lost productivity due to evacuating the school, the prank probably cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

If it had been a grown man who did the same, placing a package under a bridge on a well-traveled street, he'd be crucified by the media and put in prison. Why is this any different?

reply to post by starviego


I live in Indiana. Indiana is a state in which you can rather easily home school. This is just one more reason to ditch the public school system and go with keeping the kids home and teaching them yourself. A good number of those who graduate from high school in this state are functionally illiterate, unable to fill out a simple application for employment. Most home-schooled kids far exceed the public school kids in learning achievements.

Hell, the pranks I pulled in school would have landed me in prison for the rest of my natural life in today's screwed-up world. Going to public school today is a risk to your kids future in more ways than one. Pull them out and keep them safe from the Edu-Nazis!

Originally posted by SpaceJockey1

Originally posted by buster2010

Originally posted by prof7

Originally posted by gimme_some_truth
So you are going to sit here and PRETEND that his intention was not to trick everyone into thinking there was a bomb in the school?

Sure everyone that finds a plain wrapped package in a school bathroom is going to unwrap it to see whats inside. The kid was dressed like the Unabomber he had every intention to make people think it was a bomb. does he deserve 8 years no because it was just a stupid prank but he should have to repay the money and a good swift kick to his ass wouldn't hurt either.

There's a guy the plays pro poker called the Unabomber, who often wears a hoodie and dark glasses...shouldn't he be outlawed for using such a 'scarey' persona? Man he could blow everyone up during a game of cards! Hopefully security give him a thorough pat down before he takes his seat

Each time everyone overreacts, you allow the creeping police state to become a reality. Enjoy your freedoms while you still can.

Let me ask you this does your poker player sneak into places with plain wrapped packages? Till then he's just a moron who thinks it's cool to dress like a killer. Oh and it's spelled idiot stupid.

Originally posted by Section31
Although I can understand your perspective, you have to understand the opposite argument. Since his intent was to cause some sort of fear (through a prank), the psychological affects on other students can be very traumatic. As a result of his direct actions, people walked away from this situation with the sense of insecurity.

That's just it, you articulated why I'm having a tough time with that perspective.

The 'people(kids)' only experienced any sense of emergency/threat after someone pushed the 'panic' button...
We, as in people in charge of schools, are perpetuating/creating this fear and anxiety that doesn't exist, by constantly telling them they are under threat and extreme overreactions as in this case.. People do get tense when an army of police show-up and they are evacuated, the response caused it, not the action...

Especially given the environment (highschool), the time-frame (end of the year), senior pranks happen every year at this time, so that is where a normal sane person would jump to.

It is impossible to stop a motivated aggressor without prior intelligence gathering, which is the historical method that works to stop the real threats.
No amount of infrastructure, police-state will stop that...

Seems like many are on the fast slope to a perpetual delusional/paranoid hell.

Wow, the ignorance is oozing from this threat. It sickens me....

He deserves it!

For pulling a prank and retards jumping to some crazy conclusion? Ummmm no.

He was faking planting a bomb!

Unless he left a note saying bomb, or phoned in a bomb threat etc, you cannot say his intent was to scare people... It was people jumping to conclusions that scared people, not the blowup doll. They are to blame not him....

Amazing, everyone is falling into the fearmongering, it has got everyone in the grips....

I have to chime in on this one. Everyone who thinks this kid did anything criminal is monumentally stupid and fascist. Maybe one or two of you are just trolling, but it pains me how many of you actually seem to be serious.

He showed up at school early and left a blow up doll in the girl's bathroom. There is no reason to think he broke in to the school, he probably just showed up before most other people. There is no reason to think he was carrying a box. The "package" he is carrying on the security camera is obviously black. It is probably his backpack. Or maybe a black plastic shopping bag (like from a sex shop derp). He didn't leave a "package" in the bathroom. Obviously he would have inflated the blow up doll, or what good would it be as a prank? So what if he wore gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints on the blow up doll?

However, there is no way he will ever get 8 years for this. He is charged with criminal mischief. The charges ought to be dropped completely, because he isn't the one who freaked out and called the bomb squad without even peeking in the bathroom first. My guess is though, that they will coerce him into pleading guilty to misdemeanor criminal mischief rather than felony by threatening him with that 8 years. He will end up with a year probation or something.

reply to post by gimme_some_truth


That's a pretty serious accusation to say he was pretending to bring a bomb in school. Sure, he was wearing a hoodie and gloves... Part of the prank... the best pranks are the ones that are pulled anonymously. I remember my senior year of high school... people let a bunch of chickens loose in the school then pulled the fire alarm. Pulling a fire alarm as a prank IS illegal... but nobody got in trouble.

That being said, maybe leaving the blow up doll in a box wasn't the best idea. Was the box marked? Either way, what law(s) was broken? If any? Who were the victims?

An 8 year sentence doesn't fit the "crime". I use the word crime loosely. Don't we have some sort of law to protect people from cruel and unusual punishment?Aren't there SOME sort of guidelines these courts are supposed to be following? Or are we to just accept this kid being branded as a threat to society and locked up for the first 8 years of his adult life, only to come out of prison fully educated in the ways of real criminals with no real opportunity to get a job or go to college?

This is sickening.

reply to post by Section31


No... I don't think he's perfectly innocent, but I don't automatically call in a bomb squad, a SWAT team, or an air strike either. And... if I DO call in one of those entities... That's on me. I made that decision to err on the side of caution. The guy with the box didn't FORCE me to do anything, and is not responsible for MY reaction.

Do we even know that this kid was intending to make it look like a bomb scare, or did he simply not want to be caught leaving the blow up doll?

I think people here are split into 2 groups:

Those who have been in jail: "he didn't do anything that deserves 8 years in prison, this is tyranny because I don't like authority."

People who haven't been in jail: "screw him, ha ha, I never did anything bad in my life and I like seeing him get jailed and never become anything in life."

Originally posted by die_another_day
I think people here are split into 2 groups:

Those who have been in jail: "he didn't do anything that deserves 8 years in prison, this is tyranny because I don't like authority."

People who haven't been in jail: "screw him, ha ha, I never did anything bad in my life and I like seeing him get jailed and never become anything in life."

I think you failed with your thread grouping analysis; sorry.

I've never been to prison or jail, and I very much appreciate a benign and responsible authority (can you imagine this place without it?)...

I think the whole event and response was over-'blown' (sorry for that).

Seem like someone intentionally took the opportunity to escalate it for pubic accolades, or probably more likely, they were embarrassed by their overreaction and wanted to shift the blame.

The more posts/thoughts I read about this, the more it seems incredibly absurd.

Originally posted by starviego
More police-state lunacy:

www.wthr.com...
A high school senior accused in a senior prank faced a judge Thursday.
The planned prank blew up in the face of 18-year-old Rushville High school Senior Tyell Morton, who is jailed and facing serious criminal charges.
"It's not right. It was a senior prank. They're blowing it out of proportion. I didn't hurt anybody, I didn't intend to embarrass anybody. What did I do wrong, you know?" Morton said Thursday.
Morton was arrested Tuesday after school surveillance cameras captured a picture of a man dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and wearing latex gloves, concealing a package and leaving without it. Believing it contained explosives, the school was evacuated and the Indiana State Police bomb squad was called in. It turns out that the package contained a blow-up doll placed in the girls' restroom. Police say that Morton admitted putting it there as a prank. ...
School officials say that the prank cost them over $8,000 and prosecutors don't see the humor.
"In this post-Columbine world, that's what you get when these kinds of things happen," said Rush County Prosecutor Phil Caviness.
Facing up to eight years in prison if convicted, Morton will also miss his high school graduation and isn't allowed on school property....
Morton, who has never been in trouble with the law is now wondering how a prank went wrong. His bond has been set at $30,000.

People should be tried for their actions, not the reactions of others.

If people thought you committed a crime and started going down the street, carrying pitchforks and torches, breaking windows - and then it turns out no crime was committed, would a person be held responsible for the damage?

The boy pulled a prank - with a %^#$&* blow up doll! The adults over-reacted and should be held responsible for the charges they accrued.

Maybe we're all suppose to fall into line and act like drones.

Khar

Originally posted by Vitchilo
reply to post by ateuprto

 

Indeed this kind of crap proves that the sheeple was brainwashed successfully by the MSM.

Fear runs America. Fear runs the sheeple lives. There's a terrorist behind every desk... man up people! You think America would have grown like it is today if it would have been populated with pussies like that?

America has been pussyfied.

best post in this thread

because it true
and what was in the box all be it fake