Sherron
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Reged: 11/25/06
Posts: 20052
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'Karma' Facebook post leads to criminal charges
Attorney for 16-year-old suspect: 'It's absurd'
LARGO - Is it a crime to wish bad karma on someone? A Pinellas County teenager says she was suspended from school and charged with a crime just for posting a karma comment on her Facebook page.
Allie Scott is a junior at Osceola High School. The 16 year old says it all started in the school parking lot last month when she parked her brother's car in another girl's spot. She was asked to move it, and when she did at the end of the day, the car had been scratched up with a key.
Without naming who she thought did it, she posted this comment on her Facebook page: "Oh, so you keyed my car. Your karma is going to be a whole lot worse than that."
She wound up in the office and her mom was called.
"I started crying immediately. I didn't know what to say. I've never been in trouble before," Allie said.
Her mother drove to the school and also went to the office to meet with administrators.
"I had no idea what she was in trouble for and the severity of it until we got to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office," Paula Scott recalled.
Allie was charged with stalking by the sheriff's office. She has a court hearing next week.
Cecilia Barreda, a spokeswoman with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, said the agency cannot comment on the case because its an open investigation and she is a juvenile.
High-profile criminal attorney John Trevena has had his share of strange cases and even he finds this one almost too bizarre to believe.
"It's absurd," he said. "Karma is a spiritual believe that the universe will even things out and justice. There doesn't seem to be any allegations that constitutes a crime -- none."
Allie already served a three-day suspension, and she is not in any trouble with her mother.
"I've always taught my daughter; Leave it to karma and just let it go."
Nobody at the Pinellas County School Board returned our calls or email. The district is on holiday break.
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youngatheart
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Reged: 09/03/05
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Holy over-reaction, Batman!!! I would be FURIOUS as a parent.
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Cassie23
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Reged: 10/07/05
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3 day suspension AND charged with stalking by the Sheriff's Dept.? If wishing "karma" on someone was a crime, there would be next to none left here ;)
I do wonder what else constitutes a 3 day suspension at that school? A one or a two day? Just want to see how this offense fits into others displayed and disciplined for at this school.
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javajunkiee
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Reged: 06/01/08
Posts: 3153
Loc: SC
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If they're so serious about crime and protecting their students from each other, then actual DAMAGE to personal property should demonstrate a bigger threat than words on facebook.
Hmmm... given that a simple post aimed at some unnamed student getting that level of reaction? I would *think* that the administrators have more on their plate than worrying about this, so I wonder if they're isn't more to the story? Not that it justifies getting keyed, but why did the girl park in another girl's spot? Is there add'l bickering going on not highlighted by the story?
If there isn't, and it is what it is, then that district and the cops need a clue. Mom should demand the video showing the car getting keyed, demand prosecution of the offender, and make enough noise that *every* snarky thing said between students on fb gets the same reaction.
Either monitor EVERYONE - across the board - or STFU.
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Marriage doesn't come with a money-back guarantee.
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Redlegg
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Reged: 10/05/06
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In the quest for a perfect world, in which no one behaves outside the parameters, this is the result. The tolerant forcing their own type of tolerance creates this type of perfection. Another zero tolerance policy creates zero sense...
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DeeCan
veteran
Reged: 04/05/08
Posts: 1266
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If schools spent a little more time educating and a lot less time meddling in crap that isn't their business to begin with, our kids might actually get a decent education.
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Don't drink and park, accidents cause people.
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RJ1
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Reged: 12/19/05
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Wow. They have assigned parking spaces?
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Cassie23
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Reged: 10/07/05
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I find that to be the norm most places I have lived.
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youngatheart
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Reged: 09/03/05
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Really? I've never seen that at a school.
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Cassie23
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Reged: 10/07/05
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All schools in NY had assigned parking spaces. They are paid for in the beginning of the year and seniors get first dibs, then juniors, then so forth. SD's school (REALLY big) had 2 people per spot. So...you had to find a carpool buddy and switch on and off who gets to drive, etc.
In the midwest we had assigned parking spaces (about 200 kids in a class). Here, we do not. However only Senior and Juniors are really allowed to drive and we have THREE parking lots (300-350 per class).
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