# (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:** 19\ **Page:** 7
**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 10, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/121 "2008-06-10T12:59:38Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] I know for a fact that he did less damage than I did smashing up mailboxes as a teenager and I’m hardly still a criminal. How severely would you have punished me? [/QUOTE] Retroactive death penalty for you! Who wants to press the button? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/122 "2008-06-10T14:38:03Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Retroactive death penalty for you! Who wants to press the button? [/QUOTE] That’s too good. We gotta make an example of him for that. Drawn an quartered, or locked in a room with the barny song playing for 40 years? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/123 "2008-06-10T15:03:59Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] I know for a fact that he did less damage than I did smashing up mailboxes as a teenager and I’m hardly still a criminal. How severely would you have punished me? [/QUOTE] What is the typical sentence for willful destruction of property? I honestly don’t know. ---
**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 10, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/124 "2008-06-10T15:40:31Z")
Why does it matter if he was really planning on shooting up the school? That is not an element of the crime of making a terroristic threat. He committed a crime (right after getting out of detention for another crime), and he was sentenced within the proper guidelines. ---
**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 10, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/125 "2008-06-10T15:56:15Z")
Apparently the short length of fun’s over and we’re stuck with the Two and a Half Miles of Dumb that follows. > [@](#): > > Why does it matter if he was really planning on shooting up the school? That is not an element of the crime of making a terroristic threat. Because if you take away the possibility of an actual shooting then you have a teenager who got sentenced to eight years in prison for making a phone call. Many people would consider that wrong: reasonable people, sane people, smart people, people that roll their eyes whenever you speak. > [@](#): > > He committed a crime (right after getting out of detention for another crime), and he was sentenced within the proper guidelines. Of course he was, you halfwit. A judge can’t sentence anyone beyond the guidelines. We’re discussing whether eight years is an appropriate sentence not whether it’s a legal one. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/126 "2008-06-10T20:27:24Z")
Terroristic threat is usually prosecuted as a misdemeanor, and eight years on a third degree is pretty high for a 17 year old first-time felony offender. Maybe the kid had a shockingly bad juvenile record, maybe the judge just wanted to make an example of him, impossible to say without knowing more than what we’ve been told. Just to put it in perspective, though, eight years in this case doesn’t actually mean eight calander years. It’s not an assaultive (or “3g”) offense, so by Texas parole guidelines he’ll likely be paroled after he’s served around eleven months, back time included. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/127 "2008-06-11T17:01:48Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] I’m glad that most judges don’t agree with you. Every student bomb threat I’ve been able to dig up in the news was punished by probation. Some people seem to think that just because they aren’t in jail that they aren’t being punished, but things like probation and community service are rather shitty. And they’re shitty in a way that keeps you (for the most part) from ruining your life. Because that’s what jail time constitutes, you know? A few years behind bars means a whole host of opportunities will never be available to you, and it will affect you until the day you die. [/QUOTE] Were the threats you were able to dig up from events before or after Columbine, Virginia Tech, etc.? I’m not arguing one way or another but I can see how post-Virginia Tech, etc., that judges may take a harder stance on these types of things. MeanJoe ---
**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 11, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/128 "2008-06-11T17:48:08Z")
All of them were after Columbine, but a few of them were before VA Tech. They were Google News searches from 2006-2008. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/129 "2008-06-12T17:18:36Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] All of them were after Columbine, but a few of them were before VA Tech. They were Google News searches from 2006-2008. [/QUOTE] Thanks for clarifying and providing the link MeanJo ---
**Author:** ![ThePrankBuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@ThePrankBuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThePrankBuster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/130 "2010-12-08T07:24:45Z")
You don’t know what you’re talking about ! You need to be on the receiving end of these so call Prank calls. I hunt Prank Callers. To date I’ve had 4 arrested. One was 15 year old who not only threatened to kill people but also ordered thousands of dollars of different kinds of products under Trial Programs and had them shipped to unsuspecting people. These punks are causing the expenditure of untold thousands of dollars but are also causing people to experience physical damage. The Emotional and Psychological Stress of a repeated imminent death threat or exstencive property damage has caused many victims to experience physical and some… life threatening physical problems. A male victim, 68 years old suffered a minor stroke because of a year of daily Prank calls. A male of 73 years old in the midwest has been prank called for 3years straight everyday. The males involved in the prank calls record peoples voices without their consent, which is a violation of U.S. Title 18: TeleCommunications and Wiretap Act as well as most State’s Laws on the same topic as the Federal Law and post them to YouTube and other Social forums. That alone..if nothing else makes them criminals. These males and, 99.9% of them are males…are really Emotional and Psychological Terrorists. I know of a businessman who…so called Prank Callers, cost his business at least $30,000 last year alone and I don’t have the current costs associated with his businesses loses this year but when I spoke to him 2 months ago he said he was barely hanging on and because of these punks have harrassed him for 2 straight years everyday, at 53 his business was on the verge of going out of business several times but was still just barely hang on from going out of business but only because he was now working 16-20 hour days 7 days a week to keep his business going. The ambulance has taken him out of his shop twice because of the stress levels associated with what these punks have caused in his life. Now let’s take you for instance. Let us hypothesize and say that you had a home phone number that you could not change, because hypothetically if you did change it you could not receive any more deliveries to your house. How would you like that phone getting 50 to 100 phone calls a day with angry male voices threating to come over an kill you or blow your house up in the middle of the night or rape your mother or steal you auto. Do you think that would make you very angry and even afraid because you don’t know who these males are because they are anonymous? If you say it wouldn’t then you’re in denial or dillusional…or both ! > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > 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:** ![ThePrankBuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@ThePrankBuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThePrankBuster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/131 "2010-12-08T07:27:35Z")
All these posts are from young dumb immature males or …just dumb immature males > [@neutron\_star](#): > > So you honestly believe that: > > A. He was planning this and had a gun hidden at someone else’s house in anticipation? > > B. The fact that he was egged on by a bunch of other students to make the call is just an incredible coincidence? > > C. If he hadn’t been caught, he would have been the first person **EVER** to warn a school before he shot it up? > > I find it amazing that you are so accurately able to judge someone’s personality and predisposition towards future criminal behavior by a few ill-thought-out spoken words (not even actions) spoken by a teenage mouth. Saying stupid shit that hasn’t been throught through is pretty much a teenager’s job. > > I know for a fact that he did less damage than I did smashing up mailboxes as a teenager and I’m hardly still a criminal. How severely would you have punished me? ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/132 "2010-12-08T07:40:56Z")
**ThePrankBuster** , you realize you’re replying to posts made about two years ago? Some of the members you’re talking to may not be here anymore. Also, someone with your name talking about hunting pranksters? Heh, hopefully you’ll have more things and posts to make other then ones about pranks. 😛 Welcome to the SDMB. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/133 "2010-12-08T14:47:58Z")
Reported. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/134 "2010-12-08T14:54:12Z")
American terrorist? Does that mean the government can kill him with a Predator drone without a trial? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/135 "2010-12-08T15:06:03Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Reported. For top-posting, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/136 "2010-12-08T19:44:09Z")
Well, aside from PrankBuster being a Real American Hero, I was kinda hoping the bump was for an update, i.e. the convicted kid released after serving two years. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/137 "2010-12-08T19:55:08Z")
_nm_ ---
**Author:** ![dumbroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@dumbroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dumbroad)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/138 "2010-12-08T20:06:59Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > I think one thing that very few people are focusing on here is that this kid is 17 years old! All this talk of “sealed juvie records” is ridiculous…this should still BE a part of his juvie record. In my jurisdiction, it would be very rare that this kid would even be tried as an adult. > > The sad thing is that this kid’s life is going to be completely ruined by this. For a crime that didn’t actually hurt anyone, this is a more than excessive sentence. If this “kid” is 17 and already committing crimes like this, he should definitely be punished. I’m sure he won’t even serve the full sentence. The courts probably wanted to set an example. Plus, if he’s already been convicted of these two things, just imagine what else he’s done that isn’t known about. Just refer to CCR for how they handle things in Texas: “If you’re ever in Houston, well you better do the right. You better not gamble, you better not fight. Or the sheriff will grab ya, and the boys will bring you down. The next thing you know boy, oh you’re prison bound!” ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190/139 "2010-12-08T20:49:08Z")
I’m gonna put this thread back to bed. If anyone has anything new to add about this case, then start a new thread and link to this one. Lynn For the Straight Dope [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-8-years-in-prison-for-prank-call/452190.md?page=6)