2 Barrington girls charged after alleged bullying incident
Two 12-year-old
According to police, that 15-year-old girl was invited to a sleepover at her friend’s house, but upon arrival, a 12-year-old girl that was not her friend opened the door to the unsupervised home. Immediately, the 12-year-old began swearing at and calling the 15-year-old vulgar names.
The teen says among other things the girls struck her with a wooden brush and forced her to take off her clothes.
Barrington Police Chief John LaCross says the incident may have lasted 30 minutes to an hour before the 15-year-old managed to free herself from the girls and run home where she locked herself in her room.
The victim’s parents notified police and officers tried speaking with the families of the suspects. One of the 12-year-olds and her mother were cooperative, admitting to some of the allegations, while the other family was not cooperative.
On April 9th, the two 12-year-olds were charged with simple assault and battery, felony assault, kidnapping of a minor, and conspiracy. They were transported to a juvenile training facility and held until Monday where they were arraigned in Rhode Island Family Court and released to their parents. They are ordered to have no contact with the victim.
“Certainly this story is sad for everyone involved particularly because of their ages,” said Denise Panichas, the Executive Director at Samaritan RI.
Panichas says bullying is a huge problem and that this case should be a reminder to parents to be on the lookout for vital warning signs.
“Some of the warning signs that are quite obvious like name calling,”said Panichas. “Other warning signs can include when children become withdrawn.”
Parents at Barrington Middle School received the following letter from the Superintendent Tuesday regarding this incident.
In response to a reported incident of bullying over the weekend, involving two Barrington Middle School students, we would like to inform our parent community that supports are in place in our schools for both students and families. As a school district we take these situations very seriously and continually work within our schools to promote a safe and caring environment for our students. School administration and counselors are available if you have any questions.
© WLNE-TV 2015
