Charges dropped in Florida cyberbullying suicide case

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/21/charges-dropped-florida-cyberbullying-suicide

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Charges have been dropped against two girls in Florida who were accused of bullying a classmate until she killed herself.

Two girls, aged 12 and 14, were arrested as juveniles on stalking charges in October after Rebecca Sedwick, 12, jumped to her death in September.

The younger girl's lawyer, Jose Baez, demanded an apology from Polk county Sheriff Grady Judd. Baez said it had been "reckless" for Judd to have brought a juvenile count of third-degree felony aggravated stalking against the girl and a lawsuit against the police by his client was not out of the question.

Ronald Toward, the lawyer for the 14-year-old, said the same count had been dropped against his client by the State Attorney's Office in Polk county.

At an earlier news conference in Orlando, Baez said an apology was in order from the sheriff for placing the 12-year-old's name and mugshot before television cameras at news conference last month announcing the arrests.

Baez described his client as a "troubled young girl" who had been bullied herself. "I found zero evidence having to do with my client that would rise to the level of a criminal act," he said.

Judd said he did not regret anything he did. He was happy with the outcome and the girls would receive "the services they need".

"Our goal is that these kids never bully anyone again, never torment anyone again," Judd said.

Brian Haas, a spokesman for the state attorney's office in Polk county, said Florida law prevented him from commenting on juvenile cases.

At the October news conference announcing the arrests, Judd said the bullying began about a year ago after the 14-year-old girl started dating Rebecca's ex-boyfriend. The older girl threatened to fight Rebecca while they were sixth-graders at a middle school in Lakeland, Florida, and told her "to drink bleach and die", the sheriff had said. She also persuaded the younger girl to bully Rebecca, even though they had been best friends, the sheriff said.

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