Teens allowed to finish football season before serving prison sentence.

[gatorboy]

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/08/16/two_teens_sentenced_for_deer_decoy_crash/

KENTON, Ohio --A judge decided two high school athletes can complete the football season this fall before they serve 60-day jail sentences for a car crash caused by a decoy deer placed in a country road. Two teens were injured.

"I shouldn't be doing this, but I'm going to. I see positive things about participating in football," Judge Gary McKinley said Tuesday.

<snip>

Last November, teens stole the decoy from a man's home, created a base to help it stand upright because it had only two legs, and then drove up and down the road, watching as drivers swerved to avoid it, prosecutor Brad Bailey said. He said Howard did not stop the prank.

Robert Roby Jr. crashed his car into a pole and broke his neck, collarbone, arm and leg. His passenger, Dustin Zachariah, suffered brain damage, Bailey said.

[peacebird]

1. 60 days for causing brain damage to one teen and massive injuries to

another? SIXTY DAYS?!?

and he's putting it off til AFTER football season?!?

:eyes:

[Kingshakabobo]

5. What do you think would be the appropriate sentence?

I'm torn on this. I guess it's because I was a stupid kid once and I thank jeebus no one ever got hurt or killed by some of the stupid shit my friends and I did.

Also, I don't think sixty days is anything to sneeze at for a 17 and 18 year old.

[pooja]

7. I'm with you... The stupididty of most youth's are never long lasting

or detrimental. In this case they were. I bet, if this is a small town, that the guilt will haunt them the rest of their lives. Sometimes, really bad things happen to relatively good people.. the young men in the car and the pranking boys outside the car. Think back ya'll to the days when you were young.

I can name several times that I can say now, thank God nothing happened.

[MrCoffee]

8. An appropriate sentance would be for them to do the time now.

Waiting until after football season is ridiculous.

[patrice]

12. Sports are a false idol in Amerika.

They are absolutely the highest value in many churches and households. I don't care what anyone says to the contrary.

[peacebird]

19. at the very least the sentence should preclude playing football

and be carried out immediately - 60 days AND not getting to be the "big men on campus" as jocks in combination would be a good start.

[arcane1]

2. "I see positive things about participating in football"

but not positive enough to prevent them from doing that stupid shit in the first place :eyes:

[MADem]

4. I see positive things about participating in football,"

Like....I've been making a shitload of money under the table betting on your team!!!!!

[MrCoffee]

3. Memo to judge: They were ALREADY participating in football...

when they did it. Maybe a little more football wouldn't hurt.

On edit...I only got beat by a minute (I'm going with seconds).

[Skink]

6. They have football in prison don't they?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

9. He probably had a bet down on one of their upcoming games..

:shrug:

[ck4829]

10. These 2 young men will never be the same

You don't recover from a broken neck and brain damage.

These guys will be out in 60 days, and they'll be back doing whatever they do.

[tularetom]

11. If football is important to these two dorks

then they ought to lose the privelege of participating in it. They ruined two lives for chrissakes, the least that should happen is that thsy feel the sting a bit. And yes, I was a kid once and we all did stupid shit, but hopefully we all learned that there are consequences to our stupidity.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. So football is positive, but real school isn't?

After all, they've got all those lessons coming up where they'll get taught knowledge and reasoning. But as soon as the football season is over, those can get interrupted, because the judge doesn't see anything positive in them. But how to throw a ball around is what really teaches you right from wrong ... :eyes:

[gatorboy]

14. From how it read, they've already been playing football.

And it obviously didn't curve their vicious streak.

Here's another story with a little bit more meat on it:

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/15285877.htm

The teens' medical bills have reached $700,000 and are expected to top $1 million, Bailey said.

Campbell and Howard apologized during their sentencing hearings.

"I think every day that I hurt someone, and that hurts me inside," said Howard, a defensive back who earned an honorable mention on the all-district team last fall.

The superintendent said he doesn't foresee any problems at football games, which typically draw about 4,000 fans. He expects the season opener Aug. 25 against defending Division IV state champion Coldwater to attract a large crowd.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yep, the superintendent agrees: It's going to be GREAT football season! :puke:

[Bullshot]

15. Kenton is a football-crazy town.

Two state titles and a runner-up finish in the last five years. It looks to me like we can't deprive kids in this town of their football. Never mind the victims!

[gatorboy]

16. Sounds like it's the grown ups that can't do without their football.

San Dimas High School Football Rules!

[theanarch]

17. this isn't an isolated instance...

...a few years back, the star player for the local HS team (a 21 yr. old who flunked enough grades to still have eligibility as a senior; he also had several, out-of-wedlock children by as many girls) beat up a cop in the course being served an arrest warrant for robbery and assult. School rules would have automatically suspended him from both school and the team...BUT: the team was playing for the state championship in their (small-school) division in less than a week, and didn't stand a chance without him. So the school board voted to suspend the regulations to let him play (yes, they won). The kid is still something of a local celebrity...his name turns up in the police blotter from time to time...

[KamaAina]

18. I thought the guys in the black and white stripes were the refs?

I'm so confuuuused! </barbarino>