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Monday, August 22, 2011
Ind. Courts - Still more on: "Prank gone awry could land teen in prison: Experts question appropriateness of felony charge after student placed sex doll in school bathroom"
Updating this ILB entry from July 5th, and its update from the same day, Jon Murray of the Indianapolis Star has a report this evening:
The Rush County prosecutor has agreed to dismiss a felony criminal case against an 18-year-old who placed a blow-up sex doll in a girls' bathroom stall as a prank on the last day of school.A diversion agreement, submitted to Rush Circuit Court on Thursday, means Prosecutor Philip J. Caviness won't pursue the case as long as Tyell Morton stays out of trouble for a year. He also will perform eight hours of community service for Rush County Schools.
Morton's case has attracted national attention this summer, with many accusing the prosecutor and school and police authorities of making a prank into a capital case. Others have highlighted the fact that Morton is a black youth in a town that is 96 percent white.
The graduating senior at Rushville Consolidated High School pulled off his prank May 31.
Initially, school and police officials who relied on ominous-looking security footage overestimated the threat and placed the school on lockdown for nearly three hours, calling in the bomb squad before discovering the doll.
The incident led the prosecutor to charge Morton with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, and institutional criminal mischief -- a Class C felony that carries the potential of two to eight years in prison.
Legal experts have questioned whether those charges were appropriate or even being applied properly. * * *
Caviness did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Under the diversion agreement, the prosecutor has agreed to support an expungement of Morton's arrest record as long as he fulfills the diversion agreement. Morton also must pay $329 in diversion user fees and court costs.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 22, 2011 06:32 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts