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No further charges expected from rock throwing at parade
One teenager cited
Published Thursday, July 17, 2008
Assistant Freeborn County Attorney Erin O’Brien said Wednesday she does not foresee any additional charges being filed in the case involving teenage boys throwing rocks at a sign in the Third of July Parade and hitting a woman in the chin.
O’Brien said after she reviewed the report of the incident given by the Albert Lea Police Department, she supports the officer’s recommendation — one boy was cited with disorderly conduct.
The incident occurred after an entry by the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction drove through the parade with a sign that read “Illegal immigrants cost jobs, hospitals and courts.”
The rocks were beamed at the sign when it was up near the North Broadway Avenue parking lot.
Five teenage boys were taken to the Law Enforcement Center at the Freeborn County Government Center, and one was cited with disorderly conduct. They were released to their parents.
O’Brien said the one boy was cited with disorderly conduct because that is what authorities have probable cause to charge. There is not that probable cause for additional charges.
Erin O'Brien
She said she knows there were several people involved in the incident, but it’s hard to tell who did what. The one person authorities are sure about is the juvenile who was cited.
The husband of the 62-year-old woman who was injured by the rock said the rock hit his wife’s chin, ricocheted off and struck her collarbone.
The rock, said to be a chunk of concrete, hit her so hard it broke in two, he said.
The rock didn’t sail down on a lofty arch; it came straight at his wife, he said.
The woman was taken by ambulance to Albert Lea Medical Center, where she was treated and released. Almost a week after the incident, her husband said she had several loose teeth, major bruising and a scar on her chin.
Debate still continues as to whether the sign with the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction should be allowed in next year’s parade. That will be up to the Third of July Parade committee, which probably won’t need to make a determination until applications arrive next year.
Comments
Posted by observer (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Unbelievable, way to go AL judicial system!!
Posted by wingo (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 3:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You would think that he would have to at least pay for that poor woman's medical bills. Makes you wonder.
Posted by devildog (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 9:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When I was lad who lived in Albert Lea, the local sheriff and police would not have even momentarily allowed a group of teenage boys of any race to hurl rocks during a parade into a crowd. I am incredulous and disappointed that the Assistant County Attorney (apparently the County Attorney is too busy to enforce the law) could not find one witness in the crowd of parade goers to file assault charges, disorderly conduct, etc. Kids, it's what a good attorney learns to do to do away with troublemakers.
These kids have a citizen's right to not agree with the sign, they do not have the right to go through life without someone offending their delicate sensibilities and MORE IMPORTANTLY, there is no constitutional right to attack or stone someone for having an opinion you don't like. (See the county commissioners wasting taxpayer money on a new courthouse against the public wishes - you have bigger problems in Freeborn County than ideas and some of the biggest problems hold public offices at the courthouse - no one liked that and not a single commisioner had rocks hurled at them)
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