I don't click ita links that are at a website with the words "the" and "sneeze" in the url, and "Steve don't eat it."

In this case, was I wise?

Yeah, this story has other elements to it for sure. I mean, a felony? WTF?

Again, I don't think it's felonious, but it just wasn't right.

I agree. I think the police should've let the parents handle it, and only gotten involved if one set of parents balked.

The girl is 11, she was with her 6 yr old brother.

The felony charge is assualt with a deadly weapon.

According to this yahoo article they came to an agreement:

[link]

In the article it says the mayor and police chief agreed that it was an appropriate charge.

no, it means that the victim intitates the legal proceeding. there are certain cases when the victim does not have to.

Like which? Does it just mean, say, reporting a rape?

Dude, you so don't get to ask that question. You need to be answering it.

*shrug*

This is why I don't understand. I just don't know, given that the state prosecutes all crimes, where "pressing charges" comes in.

Even older kids can be shockingly short-sighted

Adults can be shockingly short-sighted too (cf Jackass, Fear Factor, life). But there are points at which you figure they've been presented with enough information and have the wiring that they could be expected to get 4 from 2+2.

According to another article I read (which I need to get a bugmenot login because it was already linked logged in when I read it), the girl speaks limited English, the police were speaking English, not Spanish and they Mirandized her in English, not Spanish.

Her mother, evidentally does not speak English and didn't know what was going on.

There is also this, from the article askye linked (which is the same as the Salon article):

While she ran to find Elijah's parents, a neighbor called 911.

Once she realized what she'd done, the girl went looking for the boy's parents. Unless she was planning to throw rocks at them, too.

And yet all the boys seemed genuinely shocked anyone got hurt from the rock dodging game I mentioned. I'd like to add that a mere three years after this rock-throwing incident, my brother was studying physics at Princeton. Make of that what you will.

I agree that a felony charge seems sorta huge for that.

Last year, we had two kids, one girl, on boy, shoving each over a quarter on the floor. The boy covered the quarter with his shoe and the girl bit him.

The boy didn't report it but it was discovered by another teacher. The girl got suspended. Until the dad intervened on her behalf and said he taught his daughter to do anything necessary to a man or boy who was harrassing her.

Subsequently, the girl was no longer suspended and the boy, who didn't report getting bit in the first place, ended up with an inschool detention and a pissed mom. His mom was pissed because he was fooling around in class.

And the biter? no trouble at all.