An adult monitor handed her a dress-code violation her skirt was too short even though all the girls in her class dressed that way and monitors rarely objected. How much punishment can they mete out to boys, who in many cases are only a year or two removed from childhood, who seem to think they are committing pranks with phones and passed-out girls, and for whom the ultimate charge rape means the end of their lives before they start? She had problems like any other high-schooler. This is costing their families thousands and thousands of dollars, and we are not all rich.. Photo taken of the alleged sexual assault of a 15-year-old California girl and then shared online, will be used as evidence against the three teens charged i. This episode Web of Lies examines the tragic case of teen Audrie Pott, who . California prosecutors are limited by a statute requiring a sexual assault committed by a minor age 14 and over to be forcible in order to directly qualify for adult court. In one exchange, she speaks to one of her alleged attackers: AUDRIE: u know what im talking about i dont remeber anything about that [A friend] had to tell me everything i swear to god if u still have those pictures illl killl u, BOY: They are deleted and I didn't take them I promise it wasn't me And I'm sorry about the marker, AUDRIE: You have no idea what it's like to be a girl, CLASSMATE: lol that shit gets around haha everyone knows mostly everything hahaah. Sara 15, pretty, slim and blond and Audrie had become close that summer and were exploring a new realm of boys, bottles and small parties, preferably at parent-free houses, that the Saratoga kids call kickbacks.. The teens, including Audrie, began drinking alcohol mixed with Gatorade. The brown-eyed girl who loved horses, art and pranks would never breathe on her own again. The third boy may be upgraded to adult court, where the sentence is harsher and a sexual-assault charge would remain on his file for life. In 2009, Jill Naber, a freshman at Saratogas sister school, Los Gatos High School, committed suicide. [2][3][4][5], On September 3, 2012, Pott went to a party with about ten other teenagers where she became drunk. But after his band class, his teacher, Jon Pwu, told the percussion class to learn from the shocking event. A photo or multiple photos were taken of the assault as it was taking place.. Audrie Pott was just 15 years old when she took her own life in September 2012 after photos of the assault spread online. They dont respect personal-space boundaries.. Sheila Pott poses with a portrait of her daughter Audrie in Los Altos, Calif., ON May 23, 2013. Whats really changed is that before the Internet you could do something really stupid and maybe someone would take a picture of it, so theres the picture and the film, and you could physically capture that, says Rosen. ET. She was so different than how I knew her to be. Their records will be sealed when they turn 18. No one from the school contacted the family, though. We put resources into the De Anza case and were frustrated that it couldnt be prosecuted, said Smith, the sheriff, explaining the length of the Saratoga investigation. When they arrested the boys, police seized new phones and other electronic gadgetry their parents had bought to replace what authorities took in the fall. The boys also started to draw . Shit always does. The audacity of the boys to share the horrifying images in Audries case was the critical piece of evidence that led to their arrests on Thursday, authorities say, a stunning example of how cyberbullying can lead to tragedy and provide a digital trail for police. However, since so many of the incidents involve juveniles, punishment is neither swift nor certain. And they dont want them to think theyre not cool.. Most, she says, dont make the local news or even reach school administrators because the girls are too embarrassed to do anything. Trump Melts Down Over Murdoch Admitting Fox Lied About Election Fraud The student-newspaper editor Sam Liu said there is a lot of sympathy for the Potts, but also tons of rumors that Audrie had family problems that provoked her suicide. Rape stats may be no higher than in years past, but the numbers are as shocking as ever. Savannah gathered evidence and went to the police herself. The accused boys kept going to school, whispers died down. Edgewood Center for Children and . There was stuff all over the tables, Kathy says. Audries parents, who were in seclusion Friday but are planning a Monday news conference, revealed their daughters identity as a first step in bringing awareness to this kind of violence and cyberbullying, as well as pursuing an Audries Law to help curb the problems. Only one parent of the accused boys returned a call to Rolling Stone. And the jaws drop, because right away, they think of the sex they had at a party last weekend, where everybody was wasted., Alone in the house she once shared with her only child, Sheila Pott pours herself another glass of chardonnay and wipes away tears that still well up regularly, eight months after Audries death. This photo is . 'It's gonna get out. When Sheila pulled up in her car later that Monday afternoon on September 10th, 2012, Audrie jumped in but remained silent on the short drive home. . The students who talked to Rolling Stone were much like the parents divided into two factions about the boys relative guilt. The door was locked. She punched one boy and ran, and then endured 20 to 30 harassing texts a day for months. A few kids had brought some bottles of liquor rum stolen from Safeway, vodka bought for them by an adult at a liquor store. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. And then she found the haunting words of her beautiful, once-bubbly daughter: These guys did (expletive) to me while I was sleeping, read one message. On April 15th, the Pott family held a press conference announcing they were filing a civil suit against the boys and their families (the parents who own the party house settled in August), and filed an administrative claim against the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, alleging that administrators were lax in responding to bullying against Audrie bullying that the school claims was never discussed. Now one of the accused boys claims they are partly to blame. . You need to come back to reality, Kathy told her. By seventh grade, boys were daring girls to send them photos: bra or no bra. The girls, not understanding the lasting consequences, more often than not complied. Whats very clear to me from this Pott case, and other cases around the country, is that for raped or sexually assaulted young girls, its one thing that people are gossiping about you in school, but when you add images that they can keep forwarding, it really can seem like the whole world knows.. Grief counselors were brought in. In her passing, she has been a catalyst for change, and all who knew her would expect nothing less.". Pott's family has declined to comment on the criminal case, but appear to be outraged by the anonymity the boy's get to enjoy. We are extremely saddened about what happened to Audrie, he says. [13], A documentary film titled Audrie & Daisy, about the sexual assaults and social media bullying of Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016. Associated Press. Focusing on four separate rape cases with eerie similarities, "Audrie & Daisy" is a stark portrait of a problem which is not in any way local, aberrant, or random. It started without bras, Kathy says. It was a different kind of photo that precipitated her 2012 suicide. ", "San Jose: Boys in Audrie Pott case apologize in settlement", "Interview with Sheila Pott (mother of Audrie), Daisy Coleman, and Melinda Coleman (mother of Daisy): Part 2", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Suicide_of_Audrie_Pott&oldid=1127452633, This page was last edited on 14 December 2022, at 20:07. They wanted the attention so much that they would do anything for it and they didnt think what the consequences would be. Audrie, another friend said, might have sent one once. When she woke up the next morning, Audrie didnt know how shed gotten into the bedroom or where her clothes were. Audrie had considered those boys her friends. Steubenville, Ohio, spent months in the national headlines last summer after two football players raped a drunk high school girl at a party. Many are too humiliated to stay in school. Police found new pictures of other nude teen girls on some of their phones, prompting them to add on new charges in July. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. I heard you cut yourself, the girl said loudly. A GIRL is accused of "encouraging" the gang rape of a classmate and taking pictures of the alleged sexual abuse that were . Another girl loudly pointed out in class that Audrie had been cutting herself, and the teenager burst out crying. The other was sentenced to 45 consecutive days. A boy from the team unzipped her sweater in the middle of the quad, exposing her bra. To cope with the shock of Audries death, Saratoga students arranged a memorial day on which everyone was supposed to wear teal, Audries favorite color. But recent Saratoga High graduate Jessica Hayes describes a school environment where disrespecting girls is neither rare nor effectively addressed. The foundation says they hope to one day have the resources to stop cyberbullying. The Falcon spoke to more than four dozen students, and none of them had seen the photos. An art teacher organized a girls-leadership group to facilitate discussion among girls about self-respect. The Northern California girl committed suicide last year after the alleged rape, and news outlets have said that the photos of the assault were widely distributed in . Her devastated parents blame her death on the horrific sexual attack a week earlier at the hands of three teenage boys who then allegedly tried to cover up their involvement. But the story that things went viral, that the picture went up on Facebook, it is flat untrue. Loss: Audrie Pott, 15, killed herself last year after she was allegedly sexually assaulted at a party. Divorced parents is not something unique. After seven months of detailed investigation, including the confiscation of numerous cellphones and computers of students, sheriffs deputies arrested three 16-year-old boys on Thursday, pulling two out of Saratoga High School classes where they were still enrolled and one who had transferred to Christopher High School in Gilroy. Courtesy of . Teenagers using technology to sexually harass and bully others is a phenomenon that has been made shockingly effortless by the advent of new technology. Audrie Potts. Back in her room, Audrie wasnt so nonchalant. Delete it. The three teens, aged 16 to 17, pleaded guilty to the attack and taking photos in . (AP), Pott responded: "it's gonna get out. The messages show her pleading with Joe to delete the pictures. By Maria L. La Ganga and Kate Mather, Los Angeles Times. On the night of the attack, a group of teenagers were at a friend's house drinking heavily. 'As much as we strongly disagree with and are actively attempting to change the lenient privacy laws afforded to juveniles, even when they commit as here heinous acts on an unconscious minor, we cannot publicly comment on any aspect of any criminal proceedings involving these young men,' Robert Allard, an attorney for Lawrence and Sheila Pott - Audrie's parents - said in a statement to SFGate. Pott and a friend both told their parents that they were spending the night at the other friend's house, and then went the house of Michael and Sheila Penuen, who were out of town for the weekend. I now have a reputation I can never get rid of. Letters: Proposed age limit for gun ownership in Colorado doesn't make sense, Woman shot near CU Boulder overnight, suspect is at large, Multiple Colorado schools temporarily placed under secure status due to threats, Skygazers will have a great view Wednesday of two planets that look like they are almost touching, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. And I now have a reputation I can never get rid of., Writing to another boy on Facebook, she said, My life is over. When she kneed him, she was disciplined. 3. April 15, 2013 12 AM PT. 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