Brick toss 'a prank, almost,' teen says

The Grand Rapids Press ^ | Tuesday, March 11, 2003 | Ken Kolker

[FourPeas]

Truly unbelievable.

[aimhigh]

We had an event like this in Oregon years ago. Destroyed a young girl's face, and eventually destroyed the parent's marraige.

[goose1]

I say like I`m bored lets drop teens from the bridge onto trucks

[Numbers Guy]

Defense attorneys argued the teens shouldn't be tried on the charges because they never intended to hurt anybody. "Where's the intent?" said Kooiman's attorney, Karen Constantine. "I have seen none. I have heard none."

"Officer, when I shot that gun I didn't intend to hit anyone, so how can you charge me with murder?"

Ms. Constantine should be disbarred.

Someone from my church youth group was killed by one of these brick droppers a few years back. She left behind a husband and two kids. They never caught the b*stard. I'm sure if the culprit had been identified that Ms. Constantine would say "there was no intent to kill anyone, so where's the crime?".

[TSgt]

Just a couple months ago my wife and I went out to grab a quick bite to eat. As we drove down a hilly road toward the main state route a huge ice ball the size of a bowling ball came flying out of the bushes and smashed into my windshield. The roads were icy and wet and I swerved and kept the car from going over an embankment. When I ascertained that my wife was okay I turned the car around and sped up the driveway where the huge ice ball came from. Two boys about 14 and 15 ran up to my car and said that they didn't do it. I knew it was them and called 911. Their mother came out and allowed me to give them the third degree until the sheriff showed up. I told the sheriff that I wouldn't press charges on the condition that the sheriff would scare the living hell out of them. He agreed and we went on our way.

Not funny at all...

[Kozak]

Defense attorneys argued the teens shouldn't be tried on the charges because they never intended to hurt anybody.

"Where's the intent?" said Kooiman's attorney, Karen Constantine. "I have seen none. I have heard none."

Lawyers are scum. Maybe we should toss bricks at them, after all there won't be any intent to harm....

[mhking]

Sounds like attempted murder to me...

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[Wolfie]

Take 'em out back and shoot 'em.

[xJones]

Defense attorneys argued the teens shouldn't be tried on the charges because they never intended to hurt anybody.

Defense attorneys will say anything. Any damn fool could have told Swick that dropping bricks on cars is dangerous.

"We were raising mischief, I guess," said suspect Jack "Aaron" Swick, 16, of Alto,...

Raising what?! Tell that to the victim who lost an eye and is facing a lot more facial reconstruction. Swick is an idiot, how can he have looked at his victim afterwards and not seen the results of his "little mischief"?

Kooiman and Swick ran back to the truck, Koops said. They later went four-wheeling, some went shopping for shoes and watched movies later that night, according to testimony. They also returned to the scene, but were turned away by police blockades. "We wanted to see how big the accident was," Swick said.

Good grief. Swick did that and then went out for a good time. If Swick had shown any remorse, it would have been better. He doesn't seem to learned anything.

[Poohbah]

Defense attorneys argued the teens shouldn't be tried on the charges because they never intended to hurt anybody. "Where's the intent?" said Kooiman's attorney, Karen Constantine. "I have seen none. I have heard none."

Deadly force is that force which, when applied to a human being, can be reasonably expected to cause death or serious bodily injury.

If you don't intend to hurt anyone, don't employ deadly force against them.

[Wolfie]

The husband should hunt him down and kill him. I'd vote to acquit at his trial.

[hippy hate me]

I'm sure 8 long weeks of boot camp would be a good 'prank'.

[mbynack]

A guy who went to high school with me went to prison for dropping a milk bottle through the windshield of a truck and killing the passenger.

[HELLRAISER II]

I agree they didn't mean to, no charges are necessary. Just give the husband or boyfriend 10 minutes alone with each of their sorry carcasses and if he isn't man enough to do it, I would gladly come up there & let loose a $hitload of hurt on these hoodlum kids. As a matter of fact I would gladly kick the $hit out of this attorney as well. Kids or young adults need to face the same music as the rest of us, they definately deserve an @ss kicking as well as jail time.

[Lil'freeper]

"We were raising mischief, I guess,"

"Mischief" seems like an awfully big word for such stupid kids.

[GoredInMich]

Yeah, this is all over the news around here. I saw these kids on the local news last night.......they said they were BORED.

I promply went off on the television almost to the point where my wife had to restrain me.

Throw the book at them, and their ridiculous lawyer.

[PLMerite]

Me, too.

[HELLRAISER II]

I agree.

[saminfl]

"They had no money. There was nothing else to do," Koops said. "It was a terrible reason, but they were bored."

If they had no money, how were they able to go to the movies afterward?

[End Times Sentinel]

"Where's the intent?" said Kooiman's attorney, Karen Constantine. "I have seen none. I have heard none."

 

Why, what a brilliant, well reasoned defense counselor!  I'm sure that your line of reasoning will garner bushels of support with the jury, just as it has here on FreeRepublic.

You wouldn't want to go down the "These kids made a horrible mistake, accept full responsibility for it, extend their most sincere and deepest regrets to the victim and her family and throw themselves on the mercy of the court" road.  Nope, not when there's a perfectly good jury waiting to be turned from horrified into rabidly irate.

 

At least you've laid the ground work for a re-trial based on your aggressively gross incompetence. 

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”