commentary by Patrick H. Moore
Children’s fiction is full of stories in which clever teen (or even pre-teen) detectives delve into crimes and mysteries that they ultimately solve gloriously thus righting wrongs and bringing bad guy/girls to justice. These tales make for lively and highly entertaining reading that bring youthful readers many hours of constructive pleasure.
However, young readers should be forewarned that kids’ detective stories are just that: STORIES, and it is probably not wise or desirable for kids to attempt to solve serious crimes ON THEIR OWN IN REAL LIFE.
The heart-rending case of a 14-year-old Alabama special needs student who was SODOMIZED by a reputed adolescent sex fiend in a “sting operation’ gone wrong is an excellent case in point:
Hilary Hansom of Huffington Post writes:
An Alabama middle school is accused of using a special-needs student as “bait” in a sting operation that allegedly led to her rape.
The allegations resurfaced last week when the Department of Justice filed a brief saying the Alabama District Court made a mistake by dismissing the lawsuit brought by the girl’s parents, WAFF reports.
Here’s how this horrifying series of events “came down”, according to reports recently posted by various news services:
In January of 2010, a 14-year-old special needs student at Sparkman Middle School in Toney, Alabama went to a teacher’s aide named June Simpson and told her that a 16-year-old boy, who was known for sexual harassment and violent behavior, had propositioned her, telling her he wanted to have sex with her in the school bathroom.
Upon hearing this disturbing news, Ms. Simpson should probably have gone to the school authorities immediately, and if that didn’t work, she should have stepped it up to the next level by contacting city or county law enforcement.
Instead of following this “pedestrian” series of steps, Ms. Simpson decided to implement a “clever plan” to catch the rapist red-handed, “in the act” as it were, by using the 14-year-old as bait.
Ms. Simpson told the 14-year-old girl to wait for the Rapist in the bathroom. The plan was that as soon as The Rapist made his move, Ms. Simpson (and presumably others) would swoop in and arrest him. To her credit (and perhaps hoping that help would be forthcoming), Ms. Simpson informed vice-principal Jeanne Dunaway of the plan, but according to court documents, VP Dunaway did not give Simpson any “advice or directive.”
Before we unload on Ms. Simpson, it should be pointed out that earlier that school year, she had informed Principal Ronnie Blair that the boy needed constant supervision, but Blair informed her that he “could not be punished because he had not been ‘caught in the act.’”
Thus, although it seems quite clear that she may lack common sense, Ms. Simpson’s heart appears to have been in the right place. She wanted to nail the 16-year-old creep, and she tried to recruit help to aid her in doing precisely that.
Simpson allegedly told the girl to wait in the bathroom and instructed her, “Don’t do anything. Just get him to meet you and we’ll catch him.”
The aide later told authorities that she watched security cameras but saw neither the girl nor the boy go into the bathroom, so she gave up and left. However, the students had simply gone into a different bathroom, where the boy allegedly raped her, according to CNN.
VP Dunaway reportedly had the unmitigated gall to testify at a later hearing that the 14-year-old “was responsible for herself once she entered the bathroom.”
Doctors have confirmed that as a result of the sexual assault, the poor 14-year-old victim suffered anal tearing and bruising. The child withdrew from school and her family ultimately moved to another state. The damaged was done, however, and according to a press release from the National Women’s Law Center, the girl’s formerly good grades dropped and she began struggling with depression.
Unbelievably, although The Alleged Rapist was temporarily transferred to an alternative school, he later returned to Sparkman Middle School which he is now attending.
On second thought, perhaps it would have done no good had Ms. Simpson gone to the cops initially. Although a criminal investigation did take place after the rape it appears to have been perfunctory in nature and resulted in no charges. After that, the victim’s aggrieved family filed a lawsuit against the school’s administrators, but it was dismissed by the Northern District of Alabama District Court.
The Feds to the Rescue:
Although I am typically not a big fan of the Feds, it appears that they sometimes fill a valuable niche. At least, they appear to be doing so in this case. In a brief they filed last week in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that the Alabama District Court made a mistake and that the case should be heard in a different court.
Thus, depending on how the 11th Circuit Court rules, this case may not be over yet.
The National Women’s Law Center has also filed an additional suit against the Madison County School Board, calling the administration’s response “outrageous.”
Howe about “callous”, “cruel”, “uncaring” and “disgusting”?
So where do our Proud Players stand currently? Ms. June Simpson resigned (perhaps in shame) following the incident, but Jeanne Dunaway HAS BEEN PROMOTED and is now principal of an elementary school. Sparkman Middle School principal Ronnie Blair remains at the helm of his school. It is unknown whether he is supervising his 16-year-old Rapist as he lurks in the corridors of this bastion of higher learning.
I am slowly beginning to understand why some parents make the choice to home school their children.