Two teenagers who were arrested in September, one for attacking a teacher and the other for stabbing another student, were placed on probation until they turn 18 Thursday. One of them must spend time in a locked facility before beginning probation and the other will have to undergo a stint in rehab first.
Ector County Juvenile Court Judge Brooke Hendricks sentenced the teenagers Thursday after prosecutors and defense attorneys reached an agreement in each case.
On Sept. 7, a 14-year-old Bowie Middle School student was recorded attacking a teacher after she seized his cell phone and was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault of a public servant.
The video showed the student touching the teacher while trying to get the phone out of her desk, her pushing him away and then him taking her to the ground and beating her. At one point, her head can be heard banging against a desk.
On Thursday, Hendricks found the boy engaged in delinquent conduct by committing assault on a public servant, a less serious offense negotiated by Assistant Ector County Attorney Marc Chastain and defense attorney Israel Guardiola.
Hendricks ruled it was in the “best interest of the child and society” to place him on probation. She ordered him placed in a secured facility outside Ector County for an undetermined amount of time, noting he has not been suitably supervised at home and is a potential danger to himself or others.
Hendricks told the boy there is a chance he can be released from probation earlier than his 18th birthday if he abides by all of the rules and doesn’t commit any more crimes. When she asked him whose fault it would be if he is still appearing in her court at 18, he softly replied, “mine.”
“No one’s saying you’re a bad kid, but you reacted very badly” and the staff at the locked facility are going to help him figure out why and give him tools so he’ll know how to handle things when he gets upset in the future, Hendricks told the teenager.
The judge noted he’s a good student and his behavior has been “excellent” inside the Ector County Youth Center and she told him she’s confident he can do better. The only way he can attain his goal of becoming a firefighter or hair stylist is if he maintains his grades and behaves appropriately, she told him.
Hopefully he already knows that just a few seconds of actions can impact his life and those around him “possibly forever,” Hendricks said.
The judge noted the boy has expressed remorse, which she noted is a sign of making progress.
The judge also ordered the teen to perform 56 hours of community service. She noted that the Ector County Independent School District expelled him and he’ll be homeschooled once he’s home from the locked facility and begins his probation.
Hendricks also had a few words of warning for the boy’s parents. She noted they have a history of not issuing consequences for the boy’s poor behavior and she expects that to change. She told them they must notify the boy’s probation officer if his grades slip or he fails to abide by their rules and the court’s rules. She’s also ordered them to attend a parenting class.
Addressing the boy’s mother, Hendricks said, “I’m very concerned with your social media posts and that’s not going to be your behavior while he’s on probation.”
The night of the boy’s arrest and prior to his first 10-day detention hearing his mother posted “I got you my baby, my king. Ten days will go by fast.”
Chastain told the judge the boy’s former teacher continues to experience constant headaches, which has made it impossible for her to continue taking online education courses. She said she feels unsafe and as though people are staring at her. She changed cars so she can’t be recognized and she continues to cry at night. She also said her family has been traumatized and her son had to change schools because he was being teased about the incident and in fact, was himself the victim of an assault.
As for the 16-year-old Odessa High School student, Hendricks found the boy engaged in delinquent behavior by stabbing a fellow student in the abdomen with a knife on Sept. 21, which is considered aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
According to Ector County Independent School District officials, the boy and another student agreed to fight each other, but it ended when one of them was stabbed. Officials described the student’s injuries as “minor.”
As with the former Bowie student, Hendricks agreed with the attorneys on the case that it would be in the best interest of the teenager and society to place him on probation and found that he, too, needs closer and additional supervision. Hendricks ordered the boy to spend an undetermined amount in a rehabilitation center, noting the incident was largely drug-fueled.
“It looks like you’re a good kid whose been making bad decisions and we want to help put you back on the right track,” Hendricks said.
She also told the boy, who was represented by defense attorney Mike Holmes, he can be released from probation early if he stays out of trouble.
Once released from rehab, the boy will be living with his mother and grandparents. Hendricks ordered his mom to attend a parenting class and told her, the boy’s parents and the boy that if he finds himself struggling they are to immediately notify his probation officer.
While in rehab, Hendricks told the teenager “You’ve got to soak up the information like a sponge. You’ll only get out of it what you put into it.”
She also ordered the teen to perform 48 hours of community service.
Noting he says he wants to work in the oil field or join the Marines, Hendricks told him she hopes he’ll be one of her success stories.
She told both teenagers she hopes she’ll only run into them in the future at Target or HEB, not her courtroom. She said she could be their biggest cheerleader, if they do well, but will come down hard on them if they don’t follow the rules.
While on probation, the teenagers will have to report to their probation officer at least once a week and abide by a 9 p.m. curfew, said Kevin Mann, Ector County Juvenile Probation director. Stricter measures can be imposed if there are problems, which could include GPS ankle monitors.
In both cases, the judge had the option of merely placing the teens on probation until their 18th birthday or sending them to a Texas Juvenile Justice Department facility until their 19th birthday.
