<p>Sorry for the language, but I really have a problem right now. </p>
<p>A week ago, I was working at a guy's house on a project. He got frustrated later and decided to leave a comment on the teacher's website. He typed it up, and I got a look at a bit of what was written - really horrible stuff, like he'd burn down his house, rape his wife. I'm pretty sure he was joking, and was going to close the window, but one of the girls (there were two girls in our group also) came over and clicked send. I was kind of shocked, but the others didn't seem to mind all that much. I ended up forgetting about it completely.</p>
<p>Until today. I got called to the principal's office. They found what was written, and interrogated me. Obviously, the guy had told them I had a part in it - he said I helped compose the message. That is a complete lie. Yes, I was there and knew what was going on, but in no way did I have any involvement in the whole thing. They're going to be calling the other two girls that were also there when it happened to get their stories.</p>
<p>So now, I'm suspended from school indefinitely, and the police are going to be investigating into this. I don't know what to do. This is the first time I've gotten into something like this. I'm not a bad kid. I had high expectations, high dreams, high goals. But now, this happens, and I'm just in a state of shock. I don't know what to do. I could be suspended, hell maybe even expelled, I don't know. </p>
<p>What do I do? This is really stressing me out.</p>
<p>Talk to your parents about it. I hope that you are telling the truth about your role. If you are, and it looks as if the other boy is going to try to spread the blame by pinning it on you, I would not hesitate to get a lawyer. Actually, I would get a lawyer even if you were engaged in stupid pack behavior and DID help compose it, since you had no intention of sending it.</p>
<p>Hire a lawyer. Immediately. Being suspended from school is obviously a problem, but if criminal charges get pressed it could get a whole lot worse.</p>
<p>Good luck. I’m serious about hiring a lawyer.</p>
<p>Well, I was going to say “You’re an idiot – get a lawyer.” But then I thought “Hey, maybe this guy never heard of Columbine or Virginia Tech – he could plead ignorance. That might work, right?”</p>
<p>Yes, my parents are aware of the situation already. My dad has even met up with the principal and talked with her for a bit. </p>
<p>How realistic is hiring a lawyer? Do people usually do this in these kinds of situations? I live in Canada, if that means anything (not sure if same legal rules apply as in US).</p>
<p>Wait…so the student typed up a message, presumably because he was frustrated, but didn’t send it. Then, the rest of you decided to actually send it without telling him and then “forgot about it”? If I were a member of the jury, I’d say you really are just as guilty. </p>
<p>I would definitely consult a lawyer, if only to find out whether posting that type of message is a criminal offense in Canada.</p>
<p>I suppose if the girl’s version of events support what you say, you may be admonished for foolish behaviour & perhaps suspended. On the other hand, here in the states this type of thing is taken VERY seriously…for good reason. I think hiring a lawyer is very realistic considering the possible outcomes and effect they could have on your future, college future -> life.</p>
<p>Teens are children and do not have completely developed brains, so they’re allowed some measure of mistake. The threats sent to this teacher go beyond that. I think you’ll need professional help to make sure your rights are protected .</p>
<p>He typed it up, but he’s the kind of guy who always jokes about these things. He’s always swearing and making rude comments, so I wasn’t sure if he was serious about sending it. Right after he typed it up though, the girl clicked send. There wasn’t actually any “decision” to send it, it just happened.</p>
<p>And of course as soon as the message “just happened” to be sent, everyone in the room went “Oh NO!” and immediately (a) tried to recall the email, (b) sent a follow up email to the teacher explaining that a really serious error in judgement had been made and that you all would be in the principal’s office the next morning to apologize. Both those things happened, right?</p>
<p>Your comment above needs to change right now. There is a decision at every moment with everything you do. The girl who clicked send made a decision to do so. It didn’t just happen.<br>
If that is your attitude to what occurred you really are in deep doo doo. You can’t joke about things like he did. He made a decision to type up the message.<br>
You made a decision to spend time with someone who would do something like that.</p>
<p>Lawyer. And watch out who you hang out with. Anyone who writes an email like that, even if he never meant to send it, isn’t an okay guy. And any girl who just pushes send, not someone to hang out with either. You don’t sound like a bad kid, but you didn’t exercise good judgment in this situation. Learn from that as well. Good luck.</p>
<p>Of course you need a lawyer. This wasn’t just a prank in bad taste, and more is involved than your standing at school. Threatening to burn down someone’s house and rape his wife is a crime. It’s called “assault,” and it’s probably a felony. That it happened over the Internet doesn’t make it any less serious; it only makes it easier to prove that it happened, and to track down the source of the message. And you had some kind of role in it, which the police are going to find out. Get a lawyer right away and tell your lawyer the absolute truth, down to every last detail. You may or may not have committed a serious crime, but at a minimum you exercised really bad judgment to hang with these people, not to stop them if you had the chance, and not to report the incident to the teacher and apologize for it immediately. Without knowledge of the source of an anonymous threat of that nature, the teacher might reasonably have spent days fearing for his safety and that of his wife and his property while the police tracked down the source.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth (and I sincerely offer this with the intention to be useful to you as you move ahead, not to judge you or require you to defend yourself): I absolutely and completely got the sense that your story was false. Either it’s a) made up just for our reaction (you have never posted before) or b) it’s a real event and you are not saying what really happened. </p>
<p>Even before the story unfolded, I felt from the get-go it was one of those stories that seems crafted together to explain how something is not as it would appear to be. It’s a bunch of separate sentences each with their own logic, and really doesn’t flow as real life stories do when someone has actually experienced them and recites them. “He got frustrated later…” You get up to close a window (you are there at hte computer? but you only see a bit of it?), after you get up some others walks over (only when you leave the computer? where were they until then?)</p>
<p>Each key point doesn’t ring true. You only saw it and were present as its being written, but didn’t write it or send it (how convenient). You would never do such a thing but didn’t really see anything wrong with it at the time nor later, just forgot about it (hmm). Your friend accuses you of co-writing it even though he have nothing to gain from doing so (why would your friend do that to you?). Yet another person is the one that hits the send button (so really no one is truly guilty! its all a bad mistake!). </p>
<p>I could be entirely wrong but my opinion doesn’t matter. What matters is that if I feel this way, I have a feeling that those with more experience in such matters might not believe you.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don’t say another word ANYONE about this except your parents and your lawyer. ANYONE, and that includes Facebook, email, texting, PM, chat, and this forum.</p></li>
<li><p>With your parents and your lawyer, tell the truth, the WHOLE truth, and nothing but the truth. Don’t omit anything. It will inevitably come out later which will only make it look worse.</p></li>
<li><p>Your friends suck. Get new ones.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If this is your first infraction of any kind and you are a minor, it may go a little better for you. But seriously, learn some lessons from this.</p>