3 pre-teens lying about molestation-Man jailed 8 months Fw:

Subject: Lying 12yo's Arrested, Handcuffed
From: PAMBLOC (Maggie)
Date: 2/11/2004 10:01 AM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

From the LA Times:

Girls arrested for lying to police
Three 12-year-olds invented attack, put drifter in jail for months
H.G. Reza, Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Three Southern California girls who sent a homeless man to jail for eight
months after telling police and prosecutors he had attacked them at a park were
arrested at school and taken away in handcuffs for allegedly making up the
story.

The 12-year-old girls were booked Monday on suspicion of conspiracy and taken
to Juvenile Hall in Orange County until a court hearing today.

"They handcuffed her, with her arms behind her back. She was scared and
started shaking," said the mother of one of two girls arrested at James Irvine
Intermediate School in Garden Grove. "She's a little girl, but they handcuffed
her like she was a murderer."

The schoolyard arrests marked another twist in a case that rekindles debate
over how severely authorities should punish children.

Last spring, the three girls allegedly concocted a story so their parents
would not punish them for coming home late from school: A homeless man lying
near a bush motioned them over and then grabbed one of them. The girl managed
to escape only after her friend bravely fought off the assailant.

The girl took the witness stand last month, testifying that Eric Nordmark, a
36-year-old drifter, "started choking me. And then I turned purple. ... I
couldn't breathe, and I felt like I was going to black out."

Nordmark, who police said generally matched the description given by the
girls, had spent eight months in jail awaiting trial. He could have faced five
years in prison if convicted in the attack.

After her tearful testimony, however, the girl confessed to her mother that
the story was not true. In addition to a felony charge of conspiracy, the girl
who testified also faces a charge of perjury.

"Everybody was duped by these girls," Orange County Deputy District Attorney
Heather Brown said at the time. She later asked for all charges against
Nordmark to be dismissed.

Authorities said the arrest of the girls was intended to send a message about
the consequences of lying to police.

"They did something very serious," said Garden Grove Police Lt. Mike
Handfield. "They put (an innocent) guy in jail for eight months."

An attorney for one of the girls said Monday that police could have asked
parents to bring their children to the police station, rather than make a show
of their arrest on campus.

"This alleged crime is not a violent crime," said Shirley MacDonald Juarez,
the attorney. "These girls have been totally cooperative with police. There was
no need for this."

Nordmark has filed a claim against the Garden Grove Police Department for
botching the investigation. His attorney, David Swanson, said the department
could have uncovered the lie if they had been more careful.

Defending his department's practices, Handfield said last month that it was
difficult to imagine veteran detectives and prosecutors being fooled by three
young girls.


Maggie

FW: SEXUAL ABUSE, MOLESTATION, PUNISHMENT, DETERRENCE, POLICE WORK

If you are such an advocate of punishment, why do you post these articles?

LaVonne

Fern5827 wrote:
Subject: Lying 12yo's Arrested, Handcuffed
From: PAMBLOC (Maggie)
Date: 2/11/2004 10:01 AM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

From the LA Times:

Girls arrested for lying to police
Three 12-year-olds invented attack, put drifter in jail for months
H.G. Reza, Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Three Southern California girls who sent a homeless man to jail for eight
months after telling police and prosecutors he had attacked them at a park were
arrested at school and taken away in handcuffs for allegedly making up the
story.

The 12-year-old girls were booked Monday on suspicion of conspiracy and taken
to Juvenile Hall in Orange County until a court hearing today.

"They handcuffed her, with her arms behind her back. She was scared and
started shaking," said the mother of one of two girls arrested at James Irvine
Intermediate School in Garden Grove. "She's a little girl, but they handcuffed
her like she was a murderer."

The schoolyard arrests marked another twist in a case that rekindles debate
over how severely authorities should punish children.

Last spring, the three girls allegedly concocted a story so their parents
would not punish them for coming home late from school: A homeless man lying
near a bush motioned them over and then grabbed one of them. The girl managed
to escape only after her friend bravely fought off the assailant.

The girl took the witness stand last month, testifying that Eric Nordmark, a
36-year-old drifter, "started choking me. And then I turned purple. ... I
couldn't breathe, and I felt like I was going to black out."

Nordmark, who police said generally matched the description given by the
girls, had spent eight months in jail awaiting trial. He could have faced five
years in prison if convicted in the attack.

After her tearful testimony, however, the girl confessed to her mother that
the story was not true. In addition to a felony charge of conspiracy, the girl
who testified also faces a charge of perjury.

"Everybody was duped by these girls," Orange County Deputy District Attorney
Heather Brown said at the time. She later asked for all charges against
Nordmark to be dismissed.

Authorities said the arrest of the girls was intended to send a message about
the consequences of lying to police.

"They did something very serious," said Garden Grove Police Lt. Mike
Handfield. "They put (an innocent) guy in jail for eight months."

An attorney for one of the girls said Monday that police could have asked
parents to bring their children to the police station, rather than make a show
of their arrest on campus.

"This alleged crime is not a violent crime," said Shirley MacDonald Juarez,
the attorney. "These girls have been totally cooperative with police. There was
no need for this."

Nordmark has filed a claim against the Garden Grove Police Department for
botching the investigation. His attorney, David Swanson, said the department
could have uncovered the lie if they had been more careful.

Defending his department's practices, Handfield said last month that it was
difficult to imagine veteran detectives and prosecutors being fooled by three
young girls.


Maggie

FW: SEXUAL ABUSE, MOLESTATION, PUNISHMENT, DETERRENCE, POLICE WORK