# (RO) 8 years in prison for prank call **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 8, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190 "2008-06-08T01:42:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/1 "2008-06-08T01:42:57Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. [link](http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5824727.html) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/2 "2008-06-08T01:51:43Z")
While I think the sentence is beyond excessive, it was an incredibly stupid thing to do. One should always make an effort to make a practical joke clearly distinguishable from a terroristic threat. Still a ridiculous sentence, though. Probation would have been fine. Ruining his life over this is both pointless and heartless. ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/3 "2008-06-08T02:00:08Z")
And here I thought they’d caught the person who called in the prank call on the FLDS polygamists. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/4 "2008-06-08T02:23:30Z")
On the face of things, it does seem excessive. I’m guessing that the defendant was poor, black, had a prior record, and didn’t do a very good job of expressing remorse. (Not trying to justify or defend the sentence, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/5 "2008-06-08T02:24:58Z")
[QUOTE=as\_u\_wish] And here I thought they’d caught the person who called in the prank call on the FLDS polygamists. [/QUOTE] I was thinking it was the guy who did those “strip search” phone calls to McDonalds. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/6 "2008-06-08T02:28:13Z")
You really think he’s going to be there for the whole 8 years? ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/7 "2008-06-08T02:35:56Z")
[QUOTE=brazil84] On the face of things, it does seem excessive. I’m guessing that the defendant was poor, black, had a prior record, and didn’t do a very good job of expressing remorse. (Not trying to justify or defend the sentence, of course.) [/QUOTE] [You called it.](http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080606/NEWS08/963715831/-1/NEWS) He’s a black kid with a prior record. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/8 "2008-06-08T04:17:06Z")
Asking about Prince Albert or a refrigerator = a prank call Threatening to gun down students = a murderous threat for which a person deserves to spend many years in prison ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/9 "2008-06-08T05:09:47Z")
Thirty days might have been a little excessive but defendable. Eight years? That’s crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/10 "2008-06-08T05:33:58Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] You really think he’s going to be there for the whole 8 years? [/QUOTE] What the fuck does it matter? He’s going to jail for a freaking prank call. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/11 "2008-06-08T05:42:46Z")
Sorry guys, as much as it pains me to do so I have to agree with 2.5 here. It was a threat, or at least SOUNDED like one. I don’t know if anyone here has seen the extreme reactions of finding “bomb [school] on tuesday” on a piece of paper at a park, but that’s just as extreme. I still think 8 years is a bit much, half that would still be a bit over the mark in my opinion (depending on exactly what is on his record), but he created (or had the potential to create) unnecessary panic, and I think he made an incredibly boneheaded move. I mean, unless the recipients reaction muffled the “with my new hamster cannon mwahahahahaha!!!” part of course… ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/12 "2008-06-08T05:57:52Z")
All I’m saying is, there’s no way he’s going to do 8 years. I doubt he’ll even do one year. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/13 "2008-06-08T06:16:21Z")
[QUOTE=Darryl Lict] [You called it.](http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080606/NEWS08/963715831/-1/NEWS) He’s a black kid with a prior record. [/QUOTE] "The defendant was sentenced to 75 days in the Smith County Jail on Dec. 11 after he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of burglary of a vehicle. " I dunno. If it had been a prior violent crime, then I could see it. But there may be stuff we aren’t seeing that the judge has- like a half-dozen arrests for violent crimes or a "sealed’ juvie record. But from what little we know, it looks excessive. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/14 "2008-06-08T07:00:15Z")
Is it possible that prosecutors determined that he intended to carry out the threat? I’m just saying we probably don’t know the whole story. We don’t know whether the kid intended to cause panic and fear even if he didn’t actually intend to kill anyone. The people involved with the case know more than we do about it, but it does make for a great sensational topic line. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/15 "2008-06-08T07:30:17Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] "The defendant was sentenced to 75 days in the Smith County Jail on Dec. 11 after he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of burglary of a vehicle. " I dunno. If it had been a prior violent crime, then I could see it. But there may be stuff we aren’t seeing that the judge has- like a half-dozen arrests for violent crimes or a "sealed’ juvie record. But from what little we know, it looks excessive. [/QUOTE] So the burglary sentence was handed down on Dec. 11. 75 days would go to…around the end of Feb? This says the phone call was made on Jan 30 from the school. Maybe they credited time served while awaiting trial? In any case, he didn’t get the hint. After jail for 75 days, a lot of people wouldn’t so much as fart in public. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/16 "2008-06-08T08:08:41Z")
After reading this, I started wondering what kind of punishment people normally get for calling in bomb threats to schools. I mean, it’s a fairly common occurrence; it happened three or four times in my small middle school when I was in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. A Google News search shows: [An 18-year-old got three years probation in MA.](http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/former_agawam_high_school_stud.html) [A 16-year-old got 33 months probation in Iowa.](http://www.sentinel-standard.com/articles/2008/05/29/news/02news.txt) [Five girls from Michigan, aged 16 and 17, threatened over the Internet to kill and burn down the houses of other students. No charges were brought. They were suspended for three days.](http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/05/internet_threats_lead_to_five.html) And now let’s see what _will_ get you locked away for eight years: [In Wisconsin](http://www.madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=253&ArticleID=43229&TM=32467.42), a prosecutor only tried to get four years for an armed bank robbery that netted over $37,000 because, up until that time, the robber was “a relatively law abiding citizen.” [A 72-year-old bank robber (!) in Montana got eight years.](http://www.madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=253&ArticleID=43229&TM=32467.42) [A Bronx man](http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/NEWS01/806060448/1004) who robbed a store using a knife got eight years. [A man in Upstate NY](http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/NEWS/806060387) got 8 years for “a string of felonies” including first degree burglary and beating up his girlfriend, then attacking her with a knife. [This Canadian](http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=0709f044-5a97-4753-a96a-6c9c1d5a296d) got 8 years for breaking into a woman’s house and sexually assaulting her. He had 21 prior convictions, including four for previous sexual assaults! [A Tennessee man got 8 years](http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/NEWS01/80602006) for two counts of attempted second degree murder and one count of aggravated assault for firing a gun into a crowd. [A Pennsylvania woman](http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_9476623) got 4-8 years for suffocating her infant child with a blanket. [Another Pennsylvania woman](http://www.delcotimes.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily;!-1863852294?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FDCT%2FNews&r21.content=%2FDCT%2FNews%2FTopStoryList_Story_2148436) got 4-8 for robbing a convenience store with a knife. [Another 4-8 year sentence in PA](http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/222611), this one a man who sexually assaulted a teenage girl over 100 times. [A New Jersey man](http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080531/NEWS01/805310327/1002) with three prior felony convictions got 8 years for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl. [A Florida man](http://www.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2008/0515/news/007.html) got 8 years for sexual molestation. [An Indiana man](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-east-chicago-both-13-may13,0,2828602.story) got eight years for trying to run over a police officer. I could go on and on and on and on - that’s all from the first 30 of 530 results for sentenced+“eight years” on Google News. Point is, I can’t find a single case of a single crime as minor as a false bomb threat that got anyone anywhere near eight years in prison. I mean, look at the crimes on that list. That’s some pretty fucked up stuff! A high school student making an idle threat is hardly in the same league as suffocating your child or molesting your neighbor. This is beyond excessive. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/17 "2008-06-08T08:13:52Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] After reading this, I started wondering what kind of punishment people normally get for calling in bomb threats to schools. I mean, it’s a fairly common occurrence; it happened three or four times in my small middle school when I was in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. A Google News search shows: [An 18-year-old got three years probation in MA.](http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/former_agawam_high_school_stud.html) [A 16-year-old got 33 months probation in Iowa.](http://www.sentinel-standard.com/articles/2008/05/29/news/02news.txt) [Five girls from Michigan, aged 16 and 17, threatened over the Internet to kill and burn down the houses of other students. No charges were brought. They were suspended for three days.](http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/05/internet_threats_lead_to_five.html) And now let’s see what _will_ get you locked away for eight years: [In Wisconsin](http://www.madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=253&ArticleID=43229&TM=32467.42), a prosecutor only tried to get four years for an armed bank robbery that netted over $37,000 because, up until that time, the robber was “a relatively law abiding citizen.” [A 72-year-old bank robber (!) in Montana got eight years.](http://www.madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=253&ArticleID=43229&TM=32467.42) [A Bronx man](http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/NEWS01/806060448/1004) who robbed a store using a knife got eight years. [A man in Upstate NY](http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/NEWS/806060387) got 8 years for “a string of felonies” including first degree burglary and beating up his girlfriend, then attacking her with a knife. [This Canadian](http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=0709f044-5a97-4753-a96a-6c9c1d5a296d) got 8 years for breaking into a woman’s house and sexually assaulting her. He had 21 prior convictions, including four for previous sexual assaults! [A Tennessee man got 8 years](http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/NEWS01/80602006) for two counts of attempted second degree murder and one count of aggravated assault for firing a gun into a crowd. [A Pennsylvania woman](http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_9476623) got 4-8 years for suffocating her infant child with a blanket. [Another Pennsylvania woman](http://www.delcotimes.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily;!-1863852294?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FDCT%2FNews&r21.content=%2FDCT%2FNews%2FTopStoryList_Story_2148436) got 4-8 for robbing a convenience store with a knife. [Another 4-8 year sentence in PA](http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/222611), this one a man who sexually assaulted a teenage girl over 100 times. [A New Jersey man](http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080531/NEWS01/805310327/1002) with three prior felony convictions got 8 years for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl. [A Florida man](http://www.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2008/0515/news/007.html) got 8 years for sexual molestation. [An Indiana man](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-east-chicago-both-13-may13,0,2828602.story) got eight years for trying to run over a police officer. I could go on and on and on and on - that’s all from the first 30 of 530 results for sentenced+“eight years” on Google News. Point is, I can’t find a single case of a single crime as minor as a false bomb threat that got anyone anywhere near eight years in prison. I mean, look at the crimes on that list. That’s some pretty fucked up stuff! A high school student making an idle threat is hardly in the same league as suffocating your child or molesting your neighbor. This is beyond excessive. [/QUOTE] You don’t know that the threat was idle. You don’t know anything about the case except what fits into 2 short paragraphs on a blogger’s page. You have no idea whether this sentence was excessive or not. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/18 "2008-06-08T08:20:09Z")
Many people have served lighter sentences for murder. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/19 "2008-06-08T08:21:36Z")
[QUOTE=mks57] Many people have served lighter sentences for murder. [/QUOTE] Have served, maybe. Not many have actually been handed lighter sentences, though. Even that doesn’t necessarily prove that the kid got a harsh sentence, just that the murderers probably got ones that were too light. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/20 "2008-06-08T08:27:11Z")
[QUOTE=Mosier] You don’t know that the threat was idle. You don’t know anything about the case except what fits into 2 short paragraphs on a blogger’s page. You have no idea whether this sentence was excessive or not. [/QUOTE] [No weapons were found by police](http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080607/NEWS08/806070315). (Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph) ETA: and the link in the OP is from another newspaper, not a blog. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190.md?page=2)