I am stating this out of fear for my future, which I feel is in jeopardy.
Basically, I threw a house party when my parents were not here, average regular high school party with beers and all that good stuff.
I ended up spearing (WWE move) , which is essentially a tackle, a girl. I know it was wrong, and the girl’s parents are going to my town’s cops, charging me for assault. (I am a minor at the time of the incident and still am to this day)
The cops aren’t charging me for the party, just the assault.
Before this, I have been accepted and I committed (submitted the deposit) to the University of Michigan college of engineering.
Assuming worst case scenario, being a criminal record. How would this affect my future? Would I still even be able to attend Michigan?
There is a chance this gets dropped or does not go to court and nothing comes out of this, where all that happens is I receive a couple detentions in school.
What am I looking at in terms of my next four years?
Your other posts reference going to Georgia Tech in computer science, so I’m wondering if this is even for real. But I’ll go ahead and bite:
I had to look up spearing WWE style on YouTube because I didn’t know what it was. That is way more than a “tackle” as most parents would envision it. I don’t blame the girl’s parents at all for going after you.
I’m assuming as a person intelligent enough to get in to U of Michigan engineering that you (your parents really) have already gotten you a lawyer who can advise you on what is going to happen to you as it relates to your outcomes.
So I will say that the next thing you need to do is take some personal inventory and vow to never EVER drink alcohol again. If being drunk contributed to these kinds of actions, I personally would wonder what kind of rage or misogyny I had inside that was unleashed by drinking. See a counselor to figure that out, and stay off booze and drugs or you may wake up one day to find yourself arrested for rape or some other assault. As an adult, your main worries will no longer be about your college future, but about the years ahead of you in state prison.
Since OP asks for honesty,
I don’t agree w/ nrdsb4 that I can draw the conclusion Op is filled w/ rage and/or misogynist based on this one incident. I also think we have too little info to determine you must never ever drink alcohol again. One’s age, maturity, the quantity of alcohol, the setting, are all factors I see, down the road, that nrdsb4 does not agree with. Because you did something terribly stupid with alcohol at 17 does not mean (to me) that you can never drink any quantity of alcohol for the rest of your life.
I do believe tho that this kid was an idiot, as many high school teens are. Is this kid ready for college? Ready for state prison? Neither? My son was once a passenger in a car accident that called for local sheriff and a wrecker. No one hurt. He and others in the car believed if they told no one, then no one would know. What idiots. Youthful idiots.
It is sad this kid thinks an average high school party is one that involves doing it while parents are away, and booze filled. Those occur of course, but I don’t believe they happen all the time. Sometimes parents are more diligent to prevent it from happening. Op is definitely comparing himself and involving himself with the lowest grade of people. It is too bad kid had the trust of parents but blew it.
An attorney can probably help lower this to something minor, particularly if the girl’s parents will acquiesce. Attorneys are not in the biz of seeking justice; they are in the biz of advocating for their client.
One can hope this kid’s actions don’t prevent him from college- or worse- land him in the hoosegow, but if they do, they are as a result of this kid’s actions and no penalty would have been unfairly put upon him.
I don’t see how school detentions are possible given that this occurred in a private home and was not a school extra-curricular sanctioned activity.
This is how it ended. How did it start? I mean, most people don’t end up doing this. What were you thinking? (not an exclamation, but a question), what were you trying to do?
We you and she just joking around? Were you angry with her? Do you like her? Do you hate her? Were you bullying her? Were you trying to impress her? Was it a surprise to her or were you showing her some wrestling moves? Were you showing off to friends? Was it on a bed or couch where it would be a soft landing or was it cement floor where serious injury could easily result? What steps did you take from not hurting her? Was there a sexual component? What actual injuries did she sustain?
From your brief description, I can’t tell how serious of an offense this is. I don’t want to think the worst. The only thing I can tell is that it was idiotic, but 17 year old boys do idiotic things sometimes. I was once one myself.
I think that the OP really really needs to answer the question @PetraMC asked… To my understanding, if she was at all hurt that probably makes this felony assault instead of a misdemeanor, and a felony charge means it may not matter that the OP is a minor; it’s entirely possible that he’d be charged as an adult (IF, of course, the case actually got that far…).
Agree-- get a lawyer and see if this can get resolved without being charged with anything (not sure if this would be a misdemeanor or felony). You sound like you have separate issues of underage drinking and assault. Wait to see what the final result is and then contact the school- you will need to report if your HS puts any disciplinary action on your record.
No, but was there criminal intent, criminal negligence, or unfortunate circumstance? We can’t tell from the initial post. That’s why I asked the question.
My point was more that at 17, it’s pretty common to occasionally do really stupid things without thinking of the consequences. I recall some really stupid things that I did without thinking of the consequences. I’ve known of two different young people who have died jumping between buildings and not making it.
I’m not making excuses, and the OP has no choice but to live with the moronic behavior. I don’t see any point to being sanctimonious based on what I’ve read so far.
For example, what if there were a dozen inebriated kids playing tackle football without equipment in the back yard. What if he speared her while she was running with the ball toward the goal line and she got hurt.
This would be a moronic situation on a lot of levels, but a lot of people were taking a lot of risks, and the OP was the one who is taking the heat. Clearly the alleged victim would have some responsibility here too.
I think we’re together on this CRD, that we don’t have enough info to determine what was in heart or mind of Op. Perhaps others see something we’ve overlooked and can rightly judge him based on Post 1. I cannot draw long range conclusions based on what I’ve read.
A young thug grabs the purse of an elderly lady- it doesn’t necessarily mean he hates women or the elderly. It may be he just wanted the purse or its contents.
I’d feel a lot better about your chances if you expressed regret about throwing the party instead of calling it an “average regular high school party”, and if you detailed the condition of the girl you speared, and what you did to ensure she got adequate medical treatment immediately, and how she is doing now.
The school will find out, and you may lose your opportunity to go there, and you may have to explain this to college admissions counselors in the future. If the attitude you project is that the biggest issue with all of it is how a criminal record affects your college prospects, your chances are slim unless you are a nationally ranked athlete.
This is a learning opportunity for you. Learn from it first, then figure out about college.
Also interested to hear the answers to CRD’s questions, especially whether or not the girl was injured. If she received medical care - especially at an after-hours emergency center - the bills would be large enough that the family and/or insurance company will seek to establish fault and sue for reimbursement.
You need a lawyer. As far as to whether or not the incident will negatively impact your next four years … that will depend on how it plays out in the legal system. Cases are generally won or lost based on how well the respective attorneys argue their cases, not who is right or wrong.
I see post 16 quotes the word normal.
Who is being quoted? The Op referred to the party with drinks and all the good stuff as an average high school party.
I’m not sure I agree with that characterization, but I didn’t see anyone that said hammering girls is normal. Who saidd that, Snowball? Who are you quoting?
I am guessing this will derail your plans for the next 4 years. At the very least it will cost you and your parents big $$… bc I am also guessing that her family will sue you and your family over this (regardless of whether it ends up a misdemeanor or felony or detention)…
Not sure if homeowners will cover a party thrown without legal guardian consent in which alcohol was served to minors and someone was injured or assaulted…
FYI: In several states - Illinois used to be one of them, but is not any more - a 17-year-old is always charged as an adult. I’ll repeat the best advice in the thread: get a lawyer.