Charges are pending against a 14-year-old Matanzas High School student after he allegedly assaulted a 15-year-old boy who was making fun of him and his family. The 15 year old was sent to Florida Hospital Flagler for treatment of a head injury.
The fight began before school started Wednesday, and appears to have stemmed from online harassment on a social media website against the alleged assailant, by a group of six or seven friends who attend Matanzas. Using a chat application popular among younger people and prevalent on their smart phones, the chat, according to a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office report, began over the weekend and entailed the group of friends making fun of the alleged assailant’s uncle, who had recently died, and of the rest of his family.
The incident report states the chatting suggests that the boys involved made plans to fight at school, although the victim told police he had no plans to follow through on the claim.
There were several witnesses. According to their accounts to a deputy–accounts both victim and alleged aggressor corroborate–the 14-year-old boy as sitting at a table in the school courtyard when the 15 year old approached him and asked him if he was “talking shit.” A brief argument ensued, then the 14-year-old boy allegedly tackled the 15 year old, causing the older boy to hit his head on the concrete and opening a small gash in back of his head.
“While on the ground witnesses stated that each party was throwing punches until the fight was broken up by administration,” the incident report relates. The younger boy had a small cut to his left leg and a small scrape on his right arm. The older boy’s cut was more severe and required stitches, so he was taken to Florida Hospital Flagler in a Flagler County Fire Rescue ambulance.
“Due to the physical aggressiveness” of the 14 year old “and the severity of the injury,” the incident report states, charges were forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether they should be pursued. The boys provided screen shots of the electronic chats to authorities.
In mid-afternoon Thursday, the 15-year-old boy’s mother, Sabrina Evans, said that while her son acknowledged that words were exchanged before the fight, he’d never made fun of the other boy’s family or uncle–having himself lost an uncle in November. “The kid that attacked my son has got quite a reputation at the school,” Evans said. “They had words, true, but he did not make statements about his family.” And contrary to the account in the incident report, she said it was the alleged aggressor, not her son, who asked her son if he was “talking shit.”
June 4 is the last day for all students in Flagler County schools.
airgarcia says
Sounds like the 15 year old got what was coming to him.
Bob says
Agreed.
Melissa says
Flagler Schools get out next week.
Mike says
Please correct: Wednesday was not a half day. Next week will be half days: both Wednesday and Thursday, June 3rd and 4th. Those are the last two days of school.
PS- Love your website Mr. Tristam. Keep up the good work.
Kaci Lipthrott says
I don’t think charging the 14 year old with any charges is even necessary. I think if the school board took bullying seriously, AND enforced the ”No bullying” rules they advertise all over the school…. this entire thing would have been avoided.
Toriann Garver says
You’re absolutely right!
That school and county advertises so many rules and regulations, but when was the last time any of us have seen them enforced? In my four years at the school, I never once saw any consequences for anyone who was bullying other students..they say there is a no tolerance rule for bullying…are you kidding me?!?! There are always kids being bullied, and nothing being done about it, this is how fights and young deaths happen! That 15-year-oldgot what was coming to him..and he is probably lucky that he walked away with just that…making fun of a kids uncle whom just passed away! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH KIDS THESE DAYS!?! Home Training!!
Kaci Lipthrott says
Yes Tori. I’m so happy that we’re on the same page!
PCer says
Pryor is leaving next year. Maybe the new administrative team in the school will stop pushing everything under the rug and deal with problems so they don’t get out of hand.
Mystery says
Both kids were talking trash, the older kid wasn’t talking about his family the kid accused him and then fought him when he wasn’t expecting it, younger kid only sent screen shots of the older kid but failed to share his part, younger kid is guilty in this case
Heather Beaven says
Our limbic (fight and flight) and our cortex (reason and relationships) don’t communicate well until we are in our 20’s. Add to that, the 24/7 access teens have to each other and you get lightning in a bottle.
Last month, Students United with Parents and Educators to Resolve Bullying rolled out an app (resolve bullying.org) designed to give people access to trained professionals while they are navigating conflict.
You might remember a few years ago, a girl suffered brain damage after a barrage of texts between her and the perpetrator. In one of which, she told him to “join his brother” who had just committed suicide. Many lives destroyed in that case. Thankfully, wounds will heal in this one.
Teens simply can’t navigate relationships and emotions alone.
PCer says
Beaven for Congress in 2016?!?!?!?!?!!!!
K says
Glad we left the school
m&m says
Bravo to the student that defended his family. He should become a leader of the STOP BULLING effort.
B says
Thank god I graduate tomorrow. The kids in the school are just ridiculous.
C/0 2015!
liberal says
Why the gates in front of the school? Why do so many schools here, including elementary, look like prisons? Can’t be good for morale.
Livesinflaglercounty says
The gates serve two purposes..first- at the elementary school level when they are outside for gym it keeps them on school property and older children from skipping class.. Second to keep crazy people who do not belong on campus out.
And to comment on the teen who has charging pending against him- I hope they are dropped. He was defending himself and his family. I do think the message received and hope that student doesn’t bully anyone anymore. Because there are sick people out there and God forbid do something worse to him.
We need to stop bullies!!!
Daniel says
i went to the school and their no bullying policy is only enforced when things turn for the worse they don’t care how hurt a kid is until he or she gets punched in the face although the butt whoopin that was laid out on the 15 yr old was totally deserved maybe next time he will keep his mouth shut
Nancy N says
But, but…there’s no bullying in Flagler Schools…the uniforms make all of the kids equal and respectful of each other.
Gladfly says
Now you see why Flagler County has the highest high school arrest rate in the state. I can’t wait to get out of this town.
Corey says
Apparently flagler live only publishes comments they believe conform to their obvious liberal ideology. So again I will say this…
I commend the kid who stood up for himself. Who has gone to a flagler county school and trusted that the administrators will handle situations in the right fashion? If you people honestly believe the kid had no right to protect himself, you obviously don’t know what real life is like. Whoop ass first, then ask questions/explain later. Welcome to reality. I hope one day soon you all wake up from the stooper you all are in, and see exactly what kind of mess has been created because of your follow the leader/Sheeple attitude.
FlaglerLive says
Corey, we’re not concerned with commenters’ ideology–particularly those who don’t know their liberal from their colonoscopies–but we don’t much appreciate their being asses, either. Comments go through a multi-step process of approval, especially on sensitive matters like this one, where some comments are approved relatively quickly, others are held back for a second look, and some don’t make it at all for being inappropriate in one way or another. That second look can take time: we prioritize reporting and writing well ahead of comment moderation, since our comment section is generally reflective of the dregs of our community’s minds, such as they are. They can wait, and many comments in this thread are still waiting. Your comment is borderline acceptable (we generally don’t enable commenters to advocate violence, as you clearly do, especially when children are involved). More to the point: we’d have gotten around to publishing your comment soon enough. Chill: this isn’t your school yard.
Corey says
[Note: the following was received in the form of an email. It is addressed below.–FL]
Mr. Pierre Tristam,
I’m understanding that you have won multiple awards as an outstanding journalist/writer, which is absolutely baffling considering that you proceeded to a) call me an ass, b) insult my intelligence and character, and c) make yourself look like a fool from a professional stand point.
Now as an immigrant from Lebanon, and having gone through the naturalization process, you ought to be familiar with a document by the name of The Constitution of The United States of America. In 1791, The Bill of Rights was ratified, giving each and every American a set of rights in this country, the first of which being
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Incase your not aware of what that means, I’ll inform you. I have a right to have an opinion, and voice that opinion. You, not only as an immigrant, but also a journalist should understand that. Included in that is freedom of the press, which means I have the right to express or communicate my opinions using a form of publication, whether it be digital or analog.
Considering that you’ve been doing journalism for some time (as research has suggested), you should know how to act professional. Acting professional does not, nor will it ever, mean that you can act the way you did. Telling me I don’t know my “liberal from my colonoscopies”. One, you don’t know me, or my background. Two, from a little bit of research it appears your a defender of hard core liberalism. On a higher note, who are you to tell me what I can advocate in life? If you think you’re going to run a news website and censor the comments of the community, you’re sadly mistaken. If you want to live in you’re little fantasy land of liberal beliefs, that’s fine, but don’t think that you’re holier than thou and control what you’re website conveys. I will follow every article and make sure everyone knows that if their point of view isn’t of the inside of their ass because their head is so far buried in it like yours, that it’s not a worthy point of view. Here’s an idea, how about you let the community beliefs be known, and act like a professional. If you manage to act like a professional, then go work for MSNBC and Rachel Maddow, as they seem like your kind of people. Your comment of “Chill: this isn’t your school yard” just goes to show your hypocritical outlook on life. You got a hard on when I pointed out the fact that your website was liberal based, and proceeded to spew off at the mouth. What, did someone encroach on YOUR school yard?
As I stated above, you don’t know me, or my background. I don’t care about your degrees or level of education. Next time you decide to unload with a bunch of garbage, you may want to consider who might be on the receiving end of your bullshit.
I hope you enjoy surprises, because you opened a can of worms.
Corey
Pierre Tristam says
Dear Corey Anonymous:
I’m always nauseated by people who brandish “professionalism” either as a self-evident virtue or as a last line of defense for their snotty vanities, whether it’s bosses, school principals, elected officials or comment-section dregs. So you know where you can stick your professionalism, particularly when you use it as a shield for your veiled threats. You seem to think you’re the first condescending prick I’ve had to deal with. Get over yourself. Read our comment policy. It addresses your malinformed assumptions directly. FlaglerLive is not a First Amendment zone. If you’re an ass or a bore or if you incite to violence or make excessively stupid comments, you will be censored, you will be ignored. Nor do I care whether you’re Judge Judy or, more likely, the fundamentalist next door. It’s enough to know that as always with our commenters’ armchair cowardice (which we do accommodate of course: they know not what they do, Eli), you hide behind anonymity to lob your dull little fingerwags and wormy threats, and think that by emailing them to me you’re somehow immune from being held to account. That’s not how it works here. But worms will do what worms do. And to think I wasted minutes I’ll never get back to address you, on a Saturday morning no less. Just so you know what a sweet considerate professional sonofabitch I can be.
YankeeExPat says
“I hope you enjoy surprises, because you opened a can of worms”
.
Corey
Sounds like a threat to me, sounds as if Corey is from the Mark Richter school of Constitutional Rights.
Outsider says
I do understand what you are saying a far as this anti-bullying mania goes. I was a smaller kid and occasionally got picked on in school, and no, I didn’t like it much. That being said, one day I gave one of my tormentors and notorious “bullier” a “flat” shoe just messing around. He didn’t take it in stride and he sucker punched me. After a few seconds of regaining my senses I let loose on him and in three seconds I had him on the ground and delivered a series of blows to the head as he curled up into the fetal position. Our science director and former golden glove boxer grabbed us both by the shoulder and shook us apart. I really gained a sense of self worth that day, not to mention the attention of a girl I was hot for who complimented me on my “fighting abilities.” I also never had a problem with that guy again. The point is I’m a little concerned about the effects of all this anti-bullying crap on the development of our future generations and the willingness to stand up and fight for what we believe in. I guess, in a way, if it’s a fair fight, not a pile on of many on one, there is some value in learning to stand up for oneself. I’m not sure running to the mental health counselor every time someone picks on you is going to develop your ability to deal with adversity in the future. I kind of liked the idea that science director had when he suggested we put on some boxing gloves and headgear and go finish what we started under more controlled circumstances. Now, I’m sure I will take some heat for this from all the ever do gooder, anti-violence folks who want to coddle their kids for the rest of their lives and protect them from any and all disagreement, but I am worried about the future of this country with a bunch of kids who have to run to the teacher and obtain mental counseling whenever a conflict develops. We will become a country bullied by the likes of Putin and the short fat guy with a bad haircut from North Korea and China, looking for the United Nations to save us from the bullies of the world. Good luck with that.
Nancy N says
You’re missing the point of anti-bullying campaigns. They aren’t supposed to stop people from standing up to bullies. They are supposed to teach people to treat each other better so that bullying never happens in the first place, so there is no need to fight for yourself.
And don’t tell me that it is ok to allow bullying to continue because “it teaches us to stand up for ourselves” so it has a good outcome. Maybe in your case you learned something from it and it worked out alright. But bullying comes in many forms. It isn’t just one strong kid picking on another basically strong kid that can be settled by a dust-up.
Many, many kids are killing themselves every year because of bullying. Others are scarred in ways they never recover from, and their youth is stolen from them by years of torment that affects the way they perform in school and permanently damages their mental health. This cannot be allowed to continue.
Bullying doesn’t just target strong, emotionally healthy kids who can defend themselves. Some of the prime targets are LBGT kids (many of whom are already struggling with their identity), kids with disabilities, and other kids with problems. We pulled our own daughter out of Flagler Schools this year when she was going into 6th grade because last year she was starting to become a target for bullying from her classmates, due to her autism making her talk and behave differently. Kids can be CRUEL. It should not be tolerated.
Seeking assistance dealing with a problem doesn’t make you weak. It makes you SMART. Violence isn’t the answer to every problem.
Outsider says
I agree with you, for the most part. It just seems that some of the commenters here cite this particular incident as a failure of “anti-bullying” programs, or the school administrators themselves. What exactly, do they want, the principal to hold everyone’s hand and walk them to class each morning? Two kids lets their emotions get the best of them and they started swinging, which was a fairly regular occurrence when I was in school, yet everyone survived, and many even prospered. It’s also ridiculous that one kid was arrested because the other guy’s head hit the concrete instead of the front lawn. Make them shake hands, promise not to do it again and send them back to class. We don’t need another multi-million dollar federal program to help them find their inner feminine side. Enough said.
Joe says
Matanzas is still a resort compared to the jungle down at FPC. As far as the schools looking like prisons, the contractors are the same that build prisons. I’ve lived in Palm Coast since 2000 and I’m counting down the days til I move once my son is done at Matanzas. I’ve dealt enough with rude and obnoxious New Yorkers. All my neighbors are A holes. The city is run by beaurocratic idiots from New York. The traffic cameras are a joke. Back to St Augustine where I came from.
PCer says
My son is a 10th grader at FPC. I asked him about fights, bullying, etc… He said he does not see it. Sure, there are the occassional fights over boyfriends and girlfriends, but nothing like this. I would much rather my kid be at FPC than at Matanzas. At least at FPC you know what you are getting. btw- complaining about your neighbors and the community won’t help -you have to actually do something to make a change – or you can just run back to St. Aug with your tail between your legs.
Jack S says
Incorrect grammar: “Raising Student Achievement Everyday Everyway” should be “Every Day, Every Way” because Everyday and Everyway are adjectives. By the way, Flagler Live often uses the word “diffuse” in its articles when it should use “defuse.” Just trying to help…..