Hundreds Of Callers Harass Wrong Family In Videotaped Beating Case
POSTED: Thursday, April 10, 2008
UPDATED: 2:04 pm EDT April 10,
2008
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LAKELAND, Fla. -- A Central Florida family is being hounded by hundreds of angry callers who mistakenly think they're connected to the notorious videotaped beating of a teen girl described by the sheriff as "animalistic."
PHOTOS: Attack Lasted 30 Minutes
Darlene and Jerry Ashley's phone number was mistakenly posted by a user of the YouTube video-sharing Web site, along with the numbers of the other teens charged in the beating. Callers think the Lakeland couple are the parents of one of the teen boys involved who has the same last name. The couple said they got around 300 angry, abusive calls from all over the country Wednesday. A segment of the video was released by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. It has been widely viewed on national TV and the Internet. The state attorney's office said the eight teenagers will be tried as adults on kidnapping and misdemeanor battery charges. Three also face a felony charge of witness tampering.
Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
PHOTOS: Attack Lasted 30 Minutes Darlene and Jerry Ashley's phone number was mistakenly posted by a user of the YouTube video-sharing Web site, along with the numbers of the other teens charged in the beating. Callers think the Lakeland couple are the parents of one of the teen boys involved who has the same last name. The couple said they got around 300 angry, abusive calls from all over the country Wednesday. A segment of the video was released by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. It has been widely viewed on national TV and the Internet. The state attorney's office said the eight teenagers will be tried as adults on kidnapping and misdemeanor battery charges. Three also face a felony charge of witness tampering.
Gag Order Issued
Meanwhile, a circuit judge issued a gag order in the case.Judge J. Michael McCarthy granted the request filed in a motion by Rusty Franklin, who is representing Zachary Ashley, 17, one of two boys accused of being a lookout for the girls during the alleged attack on Victoria Lindsay, a Mulberry High School cheerleader.The judge's order restricts lawyers, court personnel, law enforcement and witnesses from releasing information about the case.The motion said the Polk County Sheriff's Office released a "barrage of inflammatory, prejudicial information" about the case and said that disclosures to the media have created a "substantial likelihood" that Ashley cannot receive a fair trial."Some parents were remorseful. The kids really were not. They were laughing and joking about, (saying), 'I guess we won't get to go to the beach during spring break.' And one, as you said, asked whether she could go to cheerleading practice," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.The beating was in retaliation for the victim saying disparaging things about the girls on her MySpace page, deputies said. The girls planned on posting the video of the beating on YouTube and MySpace, deputies said.Lindsay is still recovering from her injuries.The six girls accused in the attack and Ashley are in juvenile detention. The other alleged lookout, an 18-year-old man, is free on bail.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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