California girl, 11, charged for throwing rock

Metacortex

an 11-year-old California girl who threw a rock to defend herself as neighbourhood boys pelted her with water balloons is being prosecuted on a felony charge of assaulting a boy with a deadly weapon.

Maribel Cuevas says she didn't mean to hurt the nine-year-old boy, who acknowledged to police that he started the fight in late April. He needed stitches in his head.

Maribel has already spent five days in juvenile hall with only one half-hour visit from her parents. She then spent 30 days under house arrest, wearing a GPS ankle bracelet to monitor her whereabouts, and is due back in court early next month.

"They're treating her like she's a violent parole offender," her lawyer Richard Beshwate Jr said.

Assistant Fresno County District Attorney Bob Ellis said he could not comment on the case because it involved children.

Police sent three squad cars and a helicopter in response to an emergency call.

But authorities deny that their response was influenced by the setting – a low-income, largely minority neighbourhood – or by language difficulties.

Maribel's first language is Spanish and she and her family members speak limited English.

"We responded. We determined a felony assault had taken place and the officers took the actions that were necessary," Fresno Police Sergeant Anthony Martinez said. – AP

I had to share this, its just to insane to let pass by.
What child hasn't thrown rocks at some point or another? I doubt she meant to hurt the other kid and i don't think the situation merits putting the kid in a juvenille hall and then house arrest and an ankle bracelet.

Police sent three squad cars and a helicopter in response to an emergency call.

????
They're having a laugh surely?

Sleepy

I wonder would they have responded as fast had the girl been armed with a semi-automatic? Something tells me now...

One of these days I might get some faith back in humanity (maybe if Bush was assassinated or something) but for the moment, it's almost at a negative....

[wonder if the FBI will be interested in a post with Bush, assassinated and semi-automatic in it?

monkeyfudge

Sleepy wrote:

I wonder would they have responded as fast had the girl been armed with a semi-automatic? Something tells me now...

One of these days I might get some faith back in humanity (maybe if Bush was assassinated or something) but for the moment, it's almost at a negative....

[wonder if the FBI will be interested in a post with Bush, assassinated and semi-automatic in it?

Might I suggest adding the word 'jihad'?

I heard about this story earlier today... it all seems a bit excessive alright.

pickarooney

It might put manners on her. You have to love the wording at the end, the way they invent a race/social slant with the old 'authorities deny' line.

It does seem a bit excessive, but it's the kind of action most boardsters seem to think appropriate for scangerbabies who do similar, so why not give it a shot.

Sleipnir

Metacortex wrote:

They're having a laugh surely?

I don't think Americans are capable of having a laugh anymore.

Goodshape

Jayzuz... I remember doing something quite similar when I was a wee lad (neighbours kids, around the same age as me, threatening to throw rocks.. I think feck this, grab what turns out to be a rather large rock and chuck it at them).

The fear of retribution was pretty extreme at the time.. can't imagine what I would have thought had three squad cars and a helicopter turned up. I think 'boys will be boys' was the sentiment that won out in the end.

Metacortex

pickarooney wrote:

it's the kind of action most boardsters seem to think appropriate for scangerbabies who do similar, so why not give it a shot.

Because its a bunch of children having a water fight.
Its hardly a bunch of scumbags throwing rocks at passer bys to cause harm on purpose.

YeatsCounty

I don't know, one day you're throwing rocks to defend yourself, the next thing you're selling your fifth child for another fix of heroin........

I'm glad that the law in that area is keeping this dangerous criminal where she belongs: away from her family. :rolleyes:

Zapho

Heard a similar case in America recently where an 8 year old brought a scissors to school to finish some art thing. Her teacher called the police, the child was arrested, and brought from the class room in handcuffs. She wasn't convicted but she was expelled from the school. Her parents response was that it may have been 'a bit excessive'.

I mean its one thing to have that happen, but then to have the parents not kick up a fight and simply say "its excessive"? That country has gone to the freakin dogs!

EDIT: Oh yeah, she didn't actually use the scissors in a threatening mannor, or in anyway that could be considered threatening. It was simply that she was in posession of a "deadly weapon"

pickarooney

Have you a link to that last story? Are you sure there wasn't at least a bit of aggro involving the scissors?

BaZmO*

I actually had to check the date to make sure it wasn't April 1st.

What is it with some authorities with matters like this? It's like they have the "Common-Sense" button switched off or something. Surely at some stage one police officers could of just realised that it was just kids mucking about and given the girl and the boys a warning and then had a word with the parents. Too simple/sensible? Maybe.

B.

Berger

Got a link? Sounds pretty dodgy to me.

RuggieBear

pickarooney wrote:

Have you a link to that last story? Are you sure there wasn't at least a bit of aggro involving the scissors?

http://www.google.co.uk/search?lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=scissors%20to%20school

monkeyfudge

Berger wrote:

Got a link? Sounds pretty dodgy to me.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4689459.stm

Zapho

Here's the link.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-12-13-scissors-arrest_x.htm
Looks like a got 1 or 2 details wrong!

pickarooney

RuggieBear wrote:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=scissors%20to%20school

Wow... at least the child is better off away from that nuthouse of a school.

MooShop

that country is really screwed up, i mean anybody would excuse a young girl trying to defend herself against a group of lads throwing water balloons at her. what the **** is the world coming to, they should be using their squad cars and helicoptors to catch real criminals.

Peteee

Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them!!!

RobertFoster

I'd consider water baloons to be a deadly weapon too. You could drown, or worse still, choke on the baloon itself!

Naos

Or.. You could attempt to dodge them and run into a moving car. Nice.

If we are to play it all up to the extremes of course.
America has to cop on. A lot.

gonker

http://www.dorunda.com/news2004.htm
some good stories on it....The one where the people were arrested for not leaving a tip is good.

Tar.Aldarion

did the same thing to my brother when was young,thank god he didn't press charges

SingingCherry

I remember being little and throwing rocks at boys and the lazy cops sitting there laughing that this little girl sticking it to them. It looks like if I did it 13 years later I would be doing 25 to life...

Sleipnir wrote:

I don't think Americans are capable of having a laugh anymore.

Oh, we are. I, for one, am laughing at the way my countries judges a "felony". An 11 year old ... being an 11 year old and getting arrested for it is almost laughable.

Sparky

cops in america, what a laugh, probably didnt want to get shot at so often, so lets get some kids.

senario
highschool 1
13 year old paul brings a real gun into school and then decides to use it for a real life killing spree, what happens 3 kids get killed and 2 teachers die, where were the local cops???
answer: local cops were attending another school where little mary aged 6 was found carrying a weapon while on school premises on two occasions she used it, firstly on the bus and secondly in class, this weapon was confiscated, it was a knitting needle.

The cops should be going after real criminals

MorningStar

Has everybody failed to notice that somebody called the cops in the first place. The cops arrived in force for a reason. If the neighbourhood had been that bad nobody would have called the cops. There has to be more to this story.

Cops can over react but the initial over reaction was the person who called and something they said made the cops arrive in force. It could be just racisim but maybe there is more to it.

My recent arrest favorite is the 4 year old arrested in a school for not doing what the teacher said. There is a video of it and you just wonder who rang and then who videoed.

Son_of_Belial

Holy... That's a bit heavy-handed now in all fairness. You'd think they'd just let her off with just a warning at most! Just think as well, under the "Three Strikes You're Out" policy if she does it twice more (not likely!) she gets put away for 25 years to life! Total madness. Clearly, the California Police have damn all better to do then terrorise 11-year-old little kids. Or should I say the FBI no less. If she was charged with a felony, the Feds get involved. I have to say, I wonder is there a race thing in there... Maribel Cuevas... There's a nice Spanish name... Fiver says if it was a white kid from up in The Hollywood Hills area she'd get sent to her room and grounded for a fortnight. :rolleyes:

Cake Fiend

Just to play the devil's advocate, what do people think should have happened had the nine-year-old boy been killed by the rock? Shouldn't the girl learn that civilized society doesn't retaliate to water balloons with rocks to the head? It's one thing arresting 8-year-olds for bringing scissors to school, but this is a case in which real, actual loss to life could potentially have occurred.

Guy:Incognito

Sleepy wrote:

I wonder would they have responded as fast had the girl been armed with a semi-automatic? Something tells me now...

If you knew some guy with an assault rifle was around the corner, would you leg it round all guns blazing?

Metacortex wrote:

They're having a laugh surely?

They probably didnt know it was a little girl who threw a rock at another little kid, I'd imagine they got a call about a violent assault and jumped in. I'd appreciate that level of response if I was being attack by a gang of people for instance.

Sico wrote:

Just to play the devil's advocate, what do people think should have happened had the nine-year-old boy been killed by the rock? Shouldn't the girl learn that civilized society doesn't retaliate to water balloons with rocks to the head? It's one thing arresting 8-year-olds for bringing scissors to school, but this is a case in which real, actual loss to life could potentially have occurred.

It's only recently that its been an issue, years ago throwing rocks wouldnt be a big thing.

Maybe kids just cant take a rock to the head like they used to

Son_of_Belial

...but it didn't...

Sparky

Stekelly wrote:

If you knew some guy with an assault rifle was around the corner, would you leg it round all guns blazing?

I suppose if i was playing medal of honour, then yes, but the thing here is if i die theres always a reset button

Thing is with america, kids playing to much video games, although people say dont blame the games, and there right, these games are for 18+, so blame the parents, americia is now really paranoid

Capt'n Midnight

Luckily she wasn't in Palestine..

Sparky

there would be no remains left of "she"

Mossy Monk

Sico wrote:

Just to play the devil's advocate, what do people think should have happened had the nine-year-old boy been killed by the rock? Shouldn't the girl learn that civilized society doesn't retaliate to water balloons with rocks to the head? It's one thing arresting 8-year-olds for bringing scissors to school, but this is a case in which real, actual loss to life could potentially have occurred.

indeed
if the child died what would the responses in this thread be like

omnicorp

Completely Different.
Which leads me to...

Top nine things you should never say to a police officer

1. I'm black!

2. I bet I can pull my gun out faster than you can

3.You thought I was speeding? Well you must be stupid.

4. You're about as useful as a Canadian mountie

5.Who do you think you're impressing with that moustache?

6.I'm sorry, but I just don't want to be taxed an extra five dollars a year for "better police protection."

7. Anything you say...mommy!

8. Am I high? Well...if you mean high on life...or marajuana, then I plead guilty

9. Ya lookin' for a reasonably priced good time?

Easygainer

Anyone familiar with Criminal Law will know the case of two young boys on a bridge who threw a rock which went through the window of an oncoming train, killed the driver etc.... they got locked up for a few years for manslaughter (or was it murder??)

Other cases have included throwing rocks into disused quarries and hitting walkers counting as manslaughter....

**** happens! Personally, I think there should be common sense brought into some cases like the latter above. We've all done something stupid by accident but normally got away with just crying!

Sparky

i kill everyday, i kill flies everyday with my bike, is that murder or flyslaughter?

pickarooney

Easygainer wrote:

Anyone familiar with Criminal Law will know the case of two young boys on a bridge who threw a rock which went through the window of an oncoming train, killed the driver etc.... they got locked up for a few years for manslaughter (or was it murder??)

This hilarious passtime has become something of an epidemic in Holland lately. There have been at least a half-dozen motorists killed by people dropping bricks off overpasses onto cars. They're currently trying to pass a law to get it classed as murder/attempted murder. Which is fair enough, I reckon.

In leitrim!we can take boulders to the head.

Sparky

i hate those fckers who throw stuff at you like sticks when your on a motorbike, i was tempted to get off the bike and ram the stick up where the sun definatly dont shine on the 15 yr old fcker

theCzar

Back when I was an ignorant little sh!t who didn't think his actions had consequences, I hit two people in the head with stones, i've also been hit, since it was stone-fight with some knacks (i was about 11 I think). Looking back it was seriously dumb, as somebody could have been badly injured (they weren't, just pissed off).

I'd like to think i didn't deserve to go to chokey...

on a side note, i later (~2 yrs) got accused of throwing a rock and splitting this kids head open, the kid fingered me, though I was innocent. Goes around comes around I guess.

county

RobertFoster wrote:

I'd consider water baloons to be a deadly weapon too. You could drown, or worse still, choke on the baloon itself!

poof!

Sparky

the kid fingered me

Kids, tut tut

Pet

*sniggers*

bizmark

an 11-year-old California girl who threw a rock to defend herself as neighbourhood boys pelted her with water balloons is being prosecuted on a felony charge of assaulting a boy with a deadly weapon.

Maribel Cuevas says she didn't mean to hurt the nine-year-old boy, who acknowledged to police that he started the fight in late April. He needed stitches in his head.

Right so she split open his head with a stone which very much is a deadly weapon they have been using it in war for oh a few thousand years and low and behold she’s being punished for it oh my god what’s the world coming to!!!!!111 one :rolleyes:

Because it’s a bunch of children having a water fight.

Um no it was a few boys having some harmless fun when our little princess though it would be fine to retaliated with a stone to the head Christ i wonder what the reaction would be if the sex of the victim and attacker where reversed? this thread wouldn’t be here for a start i think or would be with a very different take on events.

Kingsize

"men with guns versus kids with rocks" hmmmmmmmm......

GOAT_BOY

bizmark wrote:

Um no it was a few boys having some harmless fun when our little princess though it would be fine to retaliated with a stone to the head Christ i wonder what the reaction would be if the sex of the victim and attacker where reversed? this thread wouldn’t be here for a start i think or would be with a very different take on events.

Harmless fun? What the fúck are you on? It sounds like bullying to me, do you know how many kids kill themselves each year because of bullying? The girl was standing up for herself for christ sake, cop on!

YeatsCounty

gonker wrote:

http://www.dorunda.com/news2004.htm
some good stories on it....The one where the people were arrested for not leaving a tip is good.

The story about the fish that was blocked at airport security (an oxymoron in this case perhaps?) actually depressed me........