Pennsylvania teen held for 12 days for bomb threat he didn't make

[SirFozzie]

Oh yeah, they'd better be making a good settlement offer right away, from what it sounds like, yeah, they got a slam dunk.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/16/daylight_saving_error/

A Pennsylvania student was held in jail for 12 days after a bomb threat recorded by a school hot line service was wrongly attributed to him, Fox News reports.

Fifteen-year-old Cody Webb, of Greensburg, "called a school district hot line to listen to a recorded message about school delays at 3:12am EDT on 11 March", his mobile phone records later revealed. The next morning, school officials discovered said bomb threat logged at 3:17am.

The powers that be therefore concluded that "Webb had made the threat because they also found a record of his phone call", the lad's attorney Tim Andrews explained. The school's principal confirmed his guilt by asking Webb for his cell phone number later that morning and then quickly declared: "We got him. We got him."

Webb refused to confess, was arrested "on a felony charge of threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and related misdemeanor counts" and thrown into Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Centre for 12 days until the truth was revealed.

In fact, because the school had not reset the clock on the hot line, which continued to show Eastern Standard Time, officials and police failed to spot that the bomb threat had actually come in at 4:17am - more than an hour after Webb's innocent call.

Andrews explained: "The district attorney subpoenaed the cell phone records, and it didn't take more than a minute to see the times didn't match."

Webb was finally released "when a state trooper failed to show up at another hearing". The charges were dropped on 27 March.

Andrews, unsuprisingly, added that "the boy's family is considering a law suit against the school district or police for false arrest". Webb said of his ordeal: "I wasn't going to admit to something I didn't do. Me and God know I didn't do it."

[Maple Leafs]

He was up at 3:00 am, so he must be guilty of something. Close enough.

[sabotai]

He was up at 3:00 am, so he must be guilty of something. Close enough.

I don't think all-night Doom* sessions are against the law.

*-insert recent video game, in my day it was Doom. :D

[SirFozzie]

Probably was calling to see if he had to get three hours of rest before school, or if school was going to be cancelled due to snow.

[Dr. Sak]

Hmmm Pumpy lives in Greensburg...where was he that night?

[Maple Leafs]

I don't think all-night Doom* sessions are against the law.

They're working on it.

[sabotai]

They're working on it.

Yeah, no kidding. I hope this kid that did the killings on VT wasn't a violent game fan or else we'll be getting several months of that nonsense again.

[SirFozzie]

Yeah, no kidding. I hope this kid that did the killings on VT wasn't a violent game fan or else we'll be getting several months of that nonsense again.

You didn't see Jack Thompson on CNN today? He's already claiming that GTA/etcetera HAD to have been at fault.

[BrianD]

You didn't see Jack Thompson on CNN today? He's already claiming that GTA/etcetera HAD to have been at fault.

Any chance you are joking about this?

[SirFozzie]

0.0%

Oh.. and other folks are reporting he did an interview with Fox News as well.

[sabotai]

You didn't see Jack Thompson on CNN today? He's already claiming that GTA/etcetera HAD to have been at fault.

No, I didn't (I don't get cable at work). Not surprised at all.

[Coder]

So... lets get this straight... JT is determined this kid made a bombthreat against the school based on him playing videogames, when it's been proved that he never made the bombthreat?

I'm confused..

but so i JT... so it's a win-win I guess..

speaking of JT, I heard a rumour that right wing groups are actually accusing JT to be a liberal plant to ridicule them :)

[sabotai]

So... lets get this straight... JT is determined this kid made a bombthreat against the school based on him playing videogames, when it's been proved that he never made the bombthreat?

Not quite. JT is convinced the guy played video games based on his assumption that he had to have been the one to make the bomb thread because of what he did today. See how his logic works? Since he did something violent, he HAD to have been a violent video game fan.

[BrianD]

Not quite. JT is convinced the guy played video games based on his assumption that he had to have been the one to make the bomb thread because of what he did today. See how his logic works? Since he did something violent, he HAD to have been a violent video game fan.

The video games comment was tied to the shootings at VT, not the bomb threat. I think you guys missed a topic change.

[EagleFan]

0.0%

Oh.. and other folks are reporting he did an interview with Fox News as well.

It could be worse, we could be living in Germany where playing a game that depicts violence can now land you in jail, no matter what age.

Jack Thompson is just a blow hard windbag, no different than Sharpton or Jackson but just a different cause.

[BrianD]

0.0%

Oh.. and other folks are reporting he did an interview with Fox News as well.

Figures. Interviews like this really do nothing to help anyone involved. Misplaced anger isn't going to help anyone deal with an already terrible situation.

[Coder]

Figures. Interviews like this really do nothing to help anyone involved. Misplaced anger isn't going to help anyone deal with an already terrible situation.

Not quite true.. it helps Jack Thompson a lot.. he's been losing ground lately and this puts him right back in the media spotlight. He's a parasite feeding off of publicity.

[BrianD]

Not quite true.. it helps Jack Thompson a lot.. he's been losing ground lately and this puts him right back in the media spotlight. He's a parasite feeding off of publicity.

Yes, it does help himself, but it doesn't help those involved in the incident. I suppose his comments also help the media outlets giving him the air-time too.

[sabotai]

The video games comment was tied to the shootings at VT, not the bomb threat. I think you guys missed a topic change.

Well, there's been so many. ;)


To get back on topic of THIS thread, I'm glad I don't live in or have a kid that goes to that school district. Their police and school's budget is going to be pretty tight for awhile. 12 days is inexcusable.

[SirFozzie]

Well, there's been so many. ;)


To get back on topic of THIS thread, I'm glad I don't live in or have a kid that goes to that school district. Their police and school's budget is going to be pretty tight for awhile. 12 days is inexcusable.

Agreed. It took 12 days to get the cell phone logs to determine that no, the kid hadn't phoned in the bomb threat? (BTW, the reason he was up that late? It was early sunday morning. I bet the parents weren't too thrilled to have their kid up that late even on a weekend morning, even before this!)

[Surtt]

Webb refused to confess, was arrested "on a felony charge of threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and related misdemeanor counts" and thrown into Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Centre for 12 days until the truth was revealed.



Was he threatening to nuke the school?

[Coder]

Was he threatening to nuke the school?

I think we've figured out why no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq... THIS KID HAD 'EM!

[Airhog]

When I eat the right food my ass is considered a weapon of ass destruction. Does that count?