Girl Giggles As Bail Set In Video Beating
Teens Must Avoid Social Networking Sites
POSTED: Friday, April 11, 2008
UPDATED: 4:41 pm EDT April 11,
2008
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BARTOW, Fla. -- One of eight teens accused of taking part in the notorious videotaped "animalistic" beating of another Central Florida teen snickered while a judge issued bail on Friday. April Cooper, 14, giggled and attempted to hold in her laughter as she was told that she was being held on $36,000 bond, Local 6 News reported. It's not known why Cooper giggled. A judge set bails ranging from $30,000 to $37,000 for each during their first court appearances. They also were ordered to stay away from their high school and Internet social networking sites, such as MySpace. The judge also ordered them not to have any contact with the victim or each other. The accused range in age from 14 to 18. The state attorney's office said all will be tried as adults on charges that include kidnapping. The judge has ordered everyone involved in the case not to talk to the media. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd called the incident "animalistic" attack when he released the video on Monday. The videotape of the beating has been viewed widely on national TV and the Internet this week.
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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Families Seek Protection
Families of the teens accused in the beating have received death threats from across the country after their addresses and phone numbers were posted on the Internet, inside a YouTube video. The new YouTube video calls out for the public to take action, saying, "let your voices be heard." The video then posts the girls' names, their phone numbers, addresses and other information. Local 6 reported that some of the families have spoken with deputies about the possibility of getting protection for their safety. The six girls are accused of luring Victoria Lindsay to a home so they could videotape her beating over some apparent online "trash talk." Stephen Schumaker and Zachary Ashley are accused of acting as lookouts during the attack. Schumaker, the only one of the eight arrested to be released from jail, told Local 6 that his family is receiving death threats from all over the United States. "I don't see why I'm even in this whole situation," Schumaker said in an interview for Local 6. The videotaped beating was seen by more than 500,000 people as of Thursday night and prompted e-mails to Local6.com from all over the country. It was the most-viewed video on YouTube at one point Thursday, Local 6 reported.Wrong Information Posted Online
Meanwhile, an innocent family was targeted by angry callers after their information was mistakenly posted online. The couple said they got around 300 angry, abusive calls from all over the country Wednesday. Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Previous Stories:
- April 11, 2008: Contact Information Posted In 'Cheerleader' Beating, Families Seek Protection
- April 10, 2008: Hundreds Of Callers Harass Wrong Family In Videotaped Beating Case
- April 10, 2008: Gag Order Issued In Case Of Girls Accused Of 'Animalistic' Beating
- April 8, 2008: Report: Girls In Cheerleader Beating Joked In Holding Cell After Arrests
- April 8, 2008: Cheerleaders Pummel Girl For 30 Minutes In 'Animalistic' Ambush Attack, Police Say
- April 7, 2008: Girls Attack, Film Teen's Beating, Police Say
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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