Tyell Morton

[gm10]

What should happen?

He faces up to 8 years in prison.

"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."

http://www.wthr.com/story/14828400/rushville-teen-facing-felony-charges-over-prank

[Tom]

I don't know about 8 years, but he needs some serious penance.
He is old enough to know better and it was stupid thing to do.

Some homicide bombers are younger than he is.....he better grow up.

[HUSKER55]

Using the above criteria I would be getting out in about 3 years. :D

Thank god for the good ol days! :D

[highnote]

Is this proof the terrorists have won?

Did terrorists just cause $8,000 in economic damage? That's what they say this cost to have police deal with it.

Pretty lame prank. He should have at least blown up the doll -- and not with dynamite.

[Robert Goren]

What did he think was going to happen? Unmarked packages left anywhere these day are treated with the utmost caution as they should be. Even high school kid know that. Somethings that might have been funny 25 years ago, aren't today. 8 years is bit tough and we all know he is not going to get that. I would say community service and needless to say expelled and no diploma until he reimburses for the costs.

[sammy the sage]

Just throw 'em in with general population at state pen for a year...he'll learn QUICKLY about "blow-up"...and that should CURE him :faint:

[chickenhead]

considering he's 18 and a felony is on your record for life, not to mention what effect a stint in a real life prison does for you -- I think it's an overreach for him to be charged with a felony.

In the universe of stupid things -- I'm sure many of us have done and gotten away with stupid actions in our youth that were *actually* dangerous, that *actually* put lives at risk. Things that looking back probably should have warranted some prison time, even, for being so reckless. This isn't one of those.

The DA should charge him with some misdemeanor, some community service, and move along.

[Tom]

I think they should give his e mail address to Weiner!

[HUSKER55]

Tom, that is cruel and unusual punishment.
:D

[Tom]

Hey Tyell, here is the long arm of the law!

Ooops. That's not the arm!~:eek:

[NJ Stinks]

Eight years is crazy. He's still a kid and kids do dumb things.

And, as they say in one courtroom drama after another: What's the motive?


Miss graduation. That's it and let's move on to real crimes.
_________________________________

From the Legal Dictionary website:

Motive is usually used in connection with Criminal Law (http://Criminal+Law) to explain why a person acted or refused to act in a certain way—for example, to support the prosecution's assertion that the accused committed the crime. If a person accused of murder was the beneficiary of a life insurance policy on the deceased, the prosecution might argue that greed was the motive for the killing.

Proof of motive is not required in a criminal prosecution. In determining the guilt of a criminal defendant, courts are generally not concerned with why the defendant committed the alleged crime, but whether the defendant committed the crime. However, a defendant's motive is important in other stages of a criminal case, such as police investigation and sentencing. Law enforcement personnel often consider potential motives in detecting perpetrators. Judges may consider the motives of a convicted defendant at sentencing and either increase a sentence based on avaricious motives or decrease the sentence if the defendant's motives were honorable—for example, if the accused acted in defense of a family member.

In criminal law, motive is distinct from intent. Criminal intent refers to the mental state of mind possessed by a defendant in committing a crime. With few exceptions the prosecution in a criminal case must prove that the defendant intended to commit the illegal act. The prosecution need not prove the defendant's motive. Nevertheless, prosecutors and defense attorneys alike may make an issue of motive in connection with the case.

For example, if a defendant denies commission of the crime, he may produce evidence showing that he had no motive to commit the crime and argue that the lack of motive supports the proposition that he did not commit the crime. By the same token, the prosecution may produce evidence that the defendant did have the motive to commit the crime and argue that the motive supports the proposition that the defendant committed the crime. Proof of motive, without more evidence tying a defendant to the alleged crime, is insufficient to support a conviction.

The link:

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/motive

[Tom]

NJ, I too am happy you are still well above room temperature!

But what if Tyell had driven drunk and killed someone?
Motive? Intent?

[gm10]

Speaking as an outsider, this whole thing seems random and insane to me. This was a stupid prank that got blown out of every imaginable proportion. Why punish a kid for a prank which was stupid but harmless. What is that going to achieve?

[cj's dad]

Careful posting a story 'bout a black kid who screwed up. Mosty will be on here soon calling you a bigot because you haven't posted a comparable story about a white kid doing something stupid.

Shame on you.

Mosty, you're turn.

[gm10]

Careful posting a story 'bout a black kid who screwed up. Mosty will be on here soon calling you a bigot because you haven't posted a comparable story about a white kid doing something stupid.

Shame on you.

Mosty, you're turn.

I get the joke ... but seriously I fail to see how he 'screwed up'. What is exactly is the crime in here? He smuggled a plastic doll into the girls' room wearing gloves. He smuggled a plastic doll into the girls' room and left it there. Hello!!

I can honestly say that I have done many worse things than that in my life, and I am pretty sure so has almost everybody else. The real crime seems to be the complete waste of taxpayers' money, but that seems to go unpunished in most parts of the world.

[cj's dad]

It was meant to be funny !! Much like Mosties posts

[Tom]

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,

What part of this don't you get?

Sneaking, hooded shirt, package left behind.......what world do you live in?

Have already forgotten the terror attack on the London transit system?
Would you have rationalized that as He left a brief case behind?


He smuggled a plastic doll into the girls' room and left it there. Hello!!

No one knew this ahead of time.

This morn needs to do some jail time, as a message to his fellow cretins if nothing else.