Charges Dropped Against "Bottom Slappers"

(AP)  An Oregon judge dismissed criminal sexual harassment charges against two 13-year-old boys accused of slapping female classmates' bottoms and poking their breasts, ending a six-month-long case that has drawn attention across the United States.

Pressure has been building on prosecutors to drop the charges against Cory Mashburn and Ryan Cornelison, with critics saying they had blown the matter out of proportion and were overzealous. Four girls listed as victims by prosecutors joined in the call for charges to be dropped.

Judge John Collins said Monday his decision was in the "interest of justice."

The boys were accused in police reports of swatting girls on the bottom in a school corridor, grabbing girls' breasts on at least two occasions, poking girls' breasts and mimicking sexual intercourse while dancing.

They were originally charged with felony and misdemeanor sex abuse charges in February.

Amid growing public opposition to sending the boys to prison and putting them on a sex offenders' registry, prosecutors dropped the felony sex abuse charges and added misdemeanor harassment charges, then later dropped all sex abuse charges, leaving only the harassment counts.

The judge dismissed the final charges following negotiations between prosecutors and the defense, and discussions with the four girls about whether they wanted the case dismissed.

The boys apologized to the girls in the courtroom Monday.

"I never intended to hurt you in any way," Mashburn said.

Cornelison told the girls: "I hope we can still be friends."

The News-Register newspaper of McMinnville reported that a "civil compromise" reached by prosecutors and the defense called for both boys to apologize, to pay each of the four girls $250 and to complete a "boundaries education" program.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys said they could not comment on the newspaper report or release details of the settlement because they are confidential.

[michellem99-2009]

I am 52. The girls can be just as bad as the boys. We just did it differently. I was the outcast the only legally blind girl in the schools.The sighted can really pick on. I gave it right. I wasn''t that keen on the snide remarks. I once told a teacher so when she did wrong me. The boys were truly favoured over the girls and we knew it. I disliked boys and girls that had a home,parents, full sight,what I was robbed of. I was an abused foster child in them homes. I stayed to myself as I could not relate to their world. Girls use the b word with each other. Yet they handled things better in the 60s and 70s. They took prayer out the school before I was born in 54. Sep of Chruch and State. Yet the schools today are not worth the money us taxpayers pay. They just are not.

[dovestar]

I''d like to know where the boys'' fathers were. I know when I grew up if I ever pulled a stunt like that my father would have slapped me clear into the middle of next week.
FBI director J. Edgar Hoover once said that a man''s character is formed as a boy. These kids should be taught by their fathers that women should be treated with respect. Hmm. I wonder how the boys'' fathers have been treating their mothers.
I read comments like we should put the "fear of God" into those kids. But if you think about it, wasn''t God and His Law kicked out of the schools years ago?
And therein lies the REAL problem.

[olebd]

Come on now, let''s face it. If these boys were better looking, the girls probably wouldn''t have made such a big fuss about it.

[nskduke]

I see this stuff happen all the time. If I see that a girl doesn''t like it. I go over to the guy and punch the *** out of him.

[perimogi]

For all you women out there who are so incensed at these boys, if you had followed this case closely you would have found out that the girls were doing the same thing, and to these boys, at least 10 times. This is going on by both girls and boys, it should stop, but this is not a one way street.

[usayesterday]

A radio talk show host in Northern California screamed and yelled for his listeners to call the DA in that particular county in Oregon, to drop the charges. The DA was a Nifong-like character, simply out to get the boys for some publicity that he''s "tough on *** crimes". Too bad that this will backfire on him just like it did with Nifong.

It is wise to teach your children when and what type of touching is not appropriate, but this is yet another case that has gone too far. The worst part of this case is that the parents of one of those children was on the radio show, and they have nearly lost all their savings and their home just to afford a lawyer to defend their son. Sure, they could''ve taken the Public Defender option, but we all know how ineffective those salaried government employees are!

[cantshutup]

maybe the girls could jerk on these stupid little t*rds we*ners...or give a good purple nurple or poke em in their stupid little ret*rd as*ses...boys are stupid for the dumb sh*t they do and girls are stupid for not beating their dumb as*ses down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kansas1946]

Good God, what are people thinking. I went to school in the fifties and sixties, and I can tell you that all of the above happened to me during my school career. And incidentally, I know most of the boys that were "guilty" of these mis-deeds as adults. They all show up at the class reunions, and guess what, they are not perverts or criminals.
We used to just take care of this stuff ourselves with a punch to the nose. That usually cooled the amorous junior highers.
These kids should just be suspended for a week, given a big load of homework, like a 10,000 word theme on respecting other people''s space, maybe a little community service, cleaning up the park, and then forget about it. This charging kids with crimes and felonies for just being kids (abeit, bad kids) is nonsense and a detriment to our society.

[michellem99-2009]

Gents, I still say paws off. The boys and girls attend school to learn things in lessons. Maybe girls or other boys did egg the boys on. Boys should have respect for each other to stop it. No girl/boy should have put up with that behaviuor. They are taught to not do those actions then the won''t or shouldn''t. And it is not okay for guys. Stand down Mister. You are wrong. Them boys would not slap a girl and not you as I will put a stop to it. I have. I dumped a guy for that behaviour years ago. Men think they can do anything just they are male. It don''t work that way. That is abuse. Their parents should have grounded them,whatever to drive that message in that male brain.You don''t slap others.

[kissamaarse]

NO. Now this is a case of little free-grabbers, thinking they can fondle women at will. Then one day, when they are out of their pimples, they meet a woman who stomps them into the pavement. Then they run home crying, but momma the enabler is no longer there. They live the remainder of their lives virgins, or paying for prostitutes, or as rapists. Sick little boys, enable by a sexist judiciary.