Tyler student, 17, gets 8 years in prison for phone threat | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "TYLER — A 17-year-old who phoned his rival high school on a school bus and threatened to open fire on students has been sentenced to eight years in state prison.
An attorney for Terrance Taylor said Saturday he was surprised by the sentence and had recommended probation for his client, who was a junior at John Tyler High School in Tyler.
Taylor pleaded guilty Thursday to making a terroristic threat. Don Davidson, the student's attorney, said state District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. used the phrase 'the times we live in' in handing down the sentence.
Police found no weapons belonging to Taylor after he made the call in January. Davidson said another student initiated the call on the bus and that his client was 'gullible' in taking part.
Angela Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the Tyler school district, said that while the sentence was 'severe in this circumstance,' the school takes threats very seriously. She said 'we now live in a time where safety is of paramount concern.'"
4 comments:
Gullible, huh? How about just plain stupid either way. Whether he started the whole thing or was sucked in.
In this day and age, such an act shows more than bad judgment. Seventeen is old enough that the "He didn't realize what he was doing" defense just doesn't wash.
Another thing, and maybe I missed something, if another student initiated the whole thing, why wasn't he named and charged? If I was the yutz-brain going down for eight years by myself, I would be singing loud and clear. Why didn't he?
Because ther likely wasn't anybody else.
The Beaver would be doing three life sentences if he was a kid today.
It was a bad prank, but still a prank. A few months in juvie or a fine. He had no guns and it was found out to be a prank. Punish him, but seven years out of his life for being seventeen and stupid. Too much. Joe
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