House arrest ordered in McIntosh MySpace threat case

Fri, 11/09/2007 - 7:03pm
By: The Citizen

Two girls who admitted Friday to making threats on the Internet to shoot up McIntosh High School did not get any extra jail time beyond the 12 days they have already served, The Citizen has learned.

However, the girls will serve 30 days on house arrest and they will not be allowed to access the Internet or e-mail during the entire time they’re on probation, among other restrictions imposed by the court, The Citizen has confirmed.

District Attorney Scott Ballard said he could only talk about the outcome on one of the girls because the other’s case is not open to the public. That is because she had not yet been ruled delinquent in a previous case, The Citizen has been told.

The other girl, however, had previously been adjudicated delinquent and so a portion of her plea hearing Friday afternoon was open to the public. The Citizen is declining to name both girls because they are juveniles.

The Citizen has confirmed through other official sources that both girls will serve the same sentence.

In addition to the 30 days of house arrest, both girls will have to serve 50 hours of community service, may not set foot on the grounds of any public school without the court’s permission, and they cannot attend any extracurricular activities at McIntosh.

In addition both girls have a 6 p.m. curfew unless they are with their parents and must follow the recommendations of their psychologists, and pay a $200 probation fee, according to the court ruling.

The girls’ parents were also issued an order by the court to immediately report any violation of the probation conditions. If they fail to do so and are caught, the parents could be cited for contempt of court.

One of the girls, on her own, wrote a letter of apology that will be shared with students at McIntosh per the court’s order, her attorneys said. The other has been ordered to pen an apology letter, and she also must stay away from a specific list of juveniles which the court has deemed to be bad influences on her, Ballard said.

Ballard’s office was unable to prosecute either of the teens as an adult because the offense of making terroristic threats, while a felony, is not considered one of the “seven deadly sins” that allow teens to be tried as adults.

The girls will remain on probation for an indefinite period of time and can only be taken off probation by the court; in no case can the probation last beyond two years according to Georgia law.

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All Smiles's picture
Submitted by All Smiles on Sun, 11/11/2007 - 12:55pm.

Only 50 hours community service???? I've seen many more hours given for less of a crime! I'm SHOCKED!!!!! Was the judge feeling sorry for these girls or was he daydreaming of a vacation?


rzz's picture
Submitted by rzz on Sat, 11/10/2007 - 9:56pm.

Just like Paris Hilton.


bad_ptc's picture
Submitted by bad_ptc on Fri, 11/09/2007 - 7:26pm.

Think about this the next time you see a punk 14 year old. They're not all bad.

Mark O'Dwyer owes his life to a 14-year-old punk rocker and an edgy television science program.

The 54-year-old was waiting at Lisarow train station on the Central Coast at 2.45pm on October 19 when he fainted and toppled two metres from the platform onto the tracks below, as a freight train bore down on the station.


muddle's picture
Submitted by muddle on Fri, 11/09/2007 - 7:36pm.

Reminds me of a less dramatic incident of my own.

I had bought a large treadmill at the Sears in Union City. I loaded it on my trailer but did a rotten job of tying it down.

As I made the turn onto 138, it toppled off into the street--right in front of all the traffic.

Sitting at the bus stop were these young black guys with the whole saggy pants look--guys who I would have taken to be out for trouble.

They jumped into action, ran out and helped get the thing out of the street and onto the trailer. I tried to give each of them a little money just to say thanks, but they wouldn't hear of it. They just wanted to help.

I probably freaked out older people with my hippie-surfer look in my teens. I did a lot of dumb stuff, but, despite that, I meant well towards people.

Just when you think you have people figured out and pigeonholed....


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