A sixth teenager has been charged in connection with the alleged February assault of a 16-year-old Newtown High School student, which police said was recorded by the assailants and posted on YouTube.
The latest suspect, 16-year-old male who wasn't identified because of his age, surrendered at police headquarters Tuesday after being informed investigators had obtained a Superior Court warrant for his arrest.
He was charged with third-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint, first-degree reckless endangerment and threatening, according to Sgt. Aaron Balamonde.
Police are also seeking a warrant for the seventh suspect, a 15-year-old girl, who will be charged as a juvenile, Balamonde said.
The incident that sparked the investigation occurred Feb. 9, a Saturday, during a cleanup at the school attended by students who were being disciplined for various rules infractions.
Balamonde said the suspects used plastic packing tape to bind the victim to a chair, then placed the chair on a dolly and rolled him down a hallway. The chair fell over and the victim sustained a minor head injury, which didn't require hospital treatment, as well as "emotional and mental" distress, police said.
"It was a typical bully situation," Balamonde said.
The suspects subsequently posted a photo from the video on Facebook.com and posted the video on YouTube. Police were tipped off by anonymous person who dropped off a CD containing the Facebook photo at the police station.
The video has since been removed from the Web site.
Three 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy were previously charged in the case, along with 19-year-old Matthew Cluff, the only suspect in the case old enough to be publicly identified. Cluff is due in Danbury Superior Court on July 8.
Fox 61 covered this story and did an exclusive interview with the victim.
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On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
