House arrest for ‘adolescent stupidity at its zenith’
The teenage ringleader of a prank that killed a school bus driver will serve six months of house arrest.
Robert Stanley, 75, was killed on June 1, 2002, when a boulder the size of a basketball was dropped from a bridge over Edmonton’s Whitemud Freeway.
The rock crashed through Stanley’s school bus windshield, striking him in the chest.
On Thursday, Judge Danielle Dalton called the incident “adolescent stupidity at its zenith.”
The teenager kept a vow of silence for three years, but came forward after the wrong person was charged in the case. In March, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Although he’s now 19, the teen cannot be identified because he was only 15 at the time of the incident.
Dalton gave him a sentence of six months of house arrest and 18 months probation. She also sentenced him to 240 hours of community service work, stipulating that the victim’s family should have input on the kind of work he performs.
‘He’ll never be forgiven’
The Crown had asked for up to two years in custody, but Stanley’s family didn’t want to see the teenager spend time behind bars.
“He’ll never be forgiven. However, we’re for the idea of some sort of rehabilitation and that’s what we’re giving him the chance to do,” said son Bruce Stanley.
Judy Stanley was fighting cancer when her husband died. She says it’s been hard without him.
“I learned so much from him — kindness, not to be bitter in life because it didn’t get you anywhere,” she said.
“He can be at peace now. He can relax.”
A second teenager charged in connection with the incident has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and will go to trial in November.
thats fricken sweet!!! i laughed my ass off at that… woot!! MORE OF THAT PLZ!!
tallwookie, I am assuming that you are being a smartass, but i dont know.
This little kid is getting away with murder! the family of the victum should not accept it. I don’t care if it’s a prank. To many damn kids get away with stupidty when adults think “it’s a stupid phase”
All of the ones i have seen are dumb only when they are breathing.
They should have slapped this dumass with the book so other ones (and there will be) will think twice.
PS to tallwookie
if you are not being a smartass then i suggest a couple things.
1- stay away from traffic (i know its attractive to look but stay away)
2- open manhole covers
3- plastic bags
4- buy condoms (please)
…came forward after the wrong person was charged in the case…
I’m curious who the “wrong person” was.
Now THIS is an interesting topic for discussion!
On one hand he did turn himself in so the wrong person would not be charged.
The driver’s son stepped up and said, “He’ll never be forgiven. However, we’re for the idea of some sort of rehabilitation and that’s what we’re giving him the chance to do,” so that probably held some weight and influenced the Judge.
Lucky for the kid the judge was in a good mood that day and things worked in his favor.
On the other hand I agree with Chris #2 comments.
This little kid is getting away with murder! The family of the victim should not accept it. I don’t care of it is a prank.
They should have slapped this dumb ass with the book so other ones (and there will be) will think twice.
I don’t know which decision is the right one. I just hope the one issued is the right one.
#2 Chris I do disagree strongly with some of you comments though.
I think Tallwookie SHOULD:
1- Seek out heavily trafficked areas in which to play.
2- Run inattentively down any street that could have open manhole covers.
3- Plastic bags would make wonderful toys for tallwookie; they should be good for hour of unsupervised play.
4- Forget condoms, he should be forced into a hasty castration operation.
You libs should like this outcome. Rehibilitation you are always saying. Well I guess the judge agreed, after all its not like someone died, oh wait someone did.
You libs should like this outcome.
How long exactly is it that you would lock up a fifteen year old (at the time of the crime) for this offense? I don’t excuse what was done in any way but from the little info that was in this article, it doesn’t sound like we’re talking about a hardened criminal who needs to be “rehabilitated” here. It sounds like we’re talking about someone who did something incredibly wrong and incredibly stupid when they were fifteen.
The boy came forward to save an innocent person from being charged with his crime. He was definitely a minor at the time of the crime. Is six months house arrest enough punishment? No, I can’t say that I personally think that it is. But you know what? I’m not the judge. I didn’t hear the entire case. Neither did you.
tallwookie is what’s wrong and why judges make calls like this. A person is gone never to return and its no big deal.
I wonder if his age had anything to do with it? he was 75.
that fact that judges and ignorant people are not bothered by this is unacceptable.
Now i have to towel off the stink of ignorance.
ps I love this blog. only here can we have discussions like this.
WHO is responsible for GETTING our kids to THINK THINGS OUT.
A rock the size of a Basketball?? EVEN a baseball size…
Dropping it into MOVING traffic?? What do you THINK will happen??
Have the parents NOT given the child abit of common sense?? Like NOt shooting GUNS within a mile of ANY town or city?? KNOW where your bullet is GOING..
THIS is NOT a practical joke. ITS stupidity.
EVEN oregon, Finally put up FENCES around walk overs, so KIDS would drop rocks and bricks off them.
Wow…so, it would be better to take someone (a kid) who has yet to figure out proper common sense and turn them into a complete ward of the state and career criminal/inmate rather than try to make them into something self sufficient? What part of revenge is it here that makes throwing this kid in jail forever a good thing? I am not saying it isn’t a terrible thing…but, it resembles an accident a lot more than a crime. Had this kid “foolishly” crashed his car because he was dialing a phone I don’t expect we’d be looking to throw away the key. We’d lament how lame kids can be and how sad it is that someone can be killed by it…but we’d hope to make the kid pay attention next time…or even that it would serve to keep others paying attention.
If the family “can’t accept it” then I guess we should defer to them and allow that the victims get to set the punishment in every case…I for one know a LOT of tax evaders that I’d like to, ahem, bring to justice. As I’m the victim, I guess I get to decide.
#9, chris, …A person is gone never to return and its no big deal.
Gee, I haven’t heard any neo-con scream that loud about over 2500 men and women being killed in Iraq for some petty man’s ego.
Now i have to towel off the stink of ignorance.
No. Please, do the world a favor and WASH the stink off yourself. It is a much cleaner personal habit then just trying to wipe your filth away.
Next time, read the article first before running your mouth.
The Crown had asked for up to two years in custody, but Stanley’s family didn’t want to see the teenager spend time behind bars.
“He’ll never be forgiven. However, we’re for the idea of some sort of rehabilitation and that’s what we’re giving him the chance to do,” said son Bruce Stanley.
BTW, this happened in Alberta Canada. They call the prosecutor the Crown Prosecutor, or just the Crown for short.
Damn your kind foul the air.
Stanley’s family didn’t want to see the teenager spend time behind bars.
Bears repeating. Again and again.
What they’re going to do is wait until our 19yo pillar of society is out driving one day…then they’ll drop a rock into his windshield. There, problem solved.
A kid was doing that here in rush hour once, someone caught him and beat the snot out of him. Of course it wasn’t HIS fault because, well, it takes a village to raise a kid now. If so then we need to start opening some whipa55 on these kids.
There was another similar incedent somewhere out west where a dumb kid like this dropped a rock off an overpass. It hit a young woman in the face, she was severely disfigured, had to get multiple plastic surgeries for repairs. Lady was a schoolteacher, preparing to get married – went ahead with the wedding on time anyway, but pretty marred because of said dumb kid … i think he got a similar slap on the wrist … just idiotic – I mean, they have to aim for the bus/car/whatever to hit them, yes? (I live in the boonies where you can have multiple car lengths between vehicles on the highway all the time, so that might be less accurate in a city) – still, you can’t reasonably expect to throw a rock of a bridge and not through someone’s windsheild – this definitely means malicious intent, these losers should be locked up in juvee.
#10 -a person died. Dont you understand that? it does not matter if the family is ok with no prison for him. Why have laws in the first place? Why bother having police?
Let’s tell the kid “hey its ok, he died but you meant it as a joke”
If the parents will not be the parent then the person must deal with what he has done.
“Gee, I haven’t heard any neo-con scream that loud about over 2500 men and women being killed in Iraq for some petty man’s ego.”
you know what- the hell with you. I served in the first iraq war and was shot after shooting a person. I seen friends shot and killed. Dont you dare act like you know me or have any clue as to what i have done. Also what does that have to do with this? cant you stay on the subject?
This is about poor parenting.
PS I am so for the troops coming back and i give time to protests vs the war. Maybe the petty ego is yours thinking you know so much about me.
Robert Stanley, 75, was killed on June 1, 2002
His wife and son have had 4-years to grieve his being taken from them…
We’ll never know if they would have wanted a harsher sentence in 2002, or 2003, or 2004, or 2005…
My Father was taken from my family in 1984, by a guy who ran a red light.
I was initially upset that he was able plea-bargain to reckless driving from the original charge of vehicular manslaughter… but that anger soon mellowed.
The guy who locked-up his brakes – and left at least 50-ft of skid-marks before slamming into my father’s car – gets to remember those horrible few seconds of praying for his car to stop….
How many times has he thought about it in the last 22-years? How many more times will he think about it in the years to come?
For me, that is more than enough.
9,
Hmm,
a person is on there Cellphone and hits POLE, killing there SUV…
COMPARED to an IDIOT, that takes a BOWLING BALL sized ROCK, Sorry, BASKETBALL sized ROCK and throws it OFF an over pass, ANd hits a CAR???
EXPLAIN to me, why WILLINGLY, Throwing a LARGE ROCK, not a STONE, ONTO a STREET or FREEWAY, WITH TRAFFIC on it, either compares to what you SAID, or ANYTHING NOT-WILLINGLY DONE.
He Willingly, DROPPEd a LARGE ROCK onto a ROAD, with traffic.
EVEN without TRAFFIC, for WHAT reason??
To see what would happen?? LIKE DUH!!
ANd the second KID involved, gets a trial later this year, for pleading NOT GUILTY??
If the kid at 15 Does NOT know better then to DO this, or to even FIGURE OUT what would happen, WHAt do you think will happen when he is OLDER. SOMEONe didn’t take the time to teach this kid, COMMON SENSE…do you think he has learned ANY sense that moment?? I SURE hope so.
4 YEARS waiting, and 1 is tried, and the other IS still waiting.
Somethings just make no sense at all.
That’s where the word nonsense comes into play.
The little Rascall should do some time but since he was only a child at the time and did come forward the court should take that into consideration.
Accidents do happen and people do make mistakes.
Mike Voice….Really sorry to hear about your dad… 🙁
Death is too good for the Goddamned psycho.
I would LIKE at least a scare tatic.
Show him those that MADE Mistakes, that ENDED up in jail that are REPENTANT. AND as a student write their stories TO BE GRADED.
At least 4-5 inmates..
THEN, have him write his decisions on WHAT he did, and HOW he made the mistake.
I would LOVe to see it published.
#14, chris, I’m sorry, but YOU don’t understand.
2500 Americans have dies in Iraq. Is that not worth a scream or rant 2500 times louder?
You looked at the face of this and made up your mind. Instead of investigating, or even reading the article, you allowed your prejudiced emotions to burst out some diatribe. Not only wishing vengeance upon the kid, but personally castigating tallwookie for his post, not his opinion.
Some facts for you,:
The kid was charged with Manslaughter, not Murder.
We have laws for society to follow, not as an excuse to execute all who come before the courts. Just because the police arrest someone does not mean that they made the correct arrest or laid the correct charge. (I didn’t look it up, but I believe the maximum sentence for involuntary manslaughter in Canada is 10 years)
The Crown only asked for 2 years which is what the sentence is. The sentence includes probation and community service. If the kid makes another mistake he WILL be incarcerated.
The kid came forward on his own and pleaded guilty. He was remorseful and expressed regrets about the incident.
He was fifteen when this happened. In ALL western societies this is considered too young an age to make responsible decisions.
In most western countries, the US being the exception, rehabilitation is more important then vengeance. The Judge, Crown, and family recognized that this kid still has potential to be a useful, contributing member of society.
I made no prejudgments or claim about “knowing you”. That is your own mind playing tricks on you again. Judging from your posts, however, I wouldn’t want to know you.
This is not about parenting. The subject is about the justice in a sentence given for manslaughter. I don’t know what you expected the parents to do, kill the kid themselves maybe?
And lastly, I know several people that served in the Gulf War or Viet Nam. NONE of them would so off handedly suggest that they shot a man before being shot. To a man, none of them would discuss combat experience willingly although they will talk about Corporal McGillicuddy’s antics all day.
Interesting how this kind of thing brings out personalities.
The kid made a stupid, horrendous mistake. No doubt he freaked himself out as well. I’m sure he’s not enjoying the consequences, light as some people think they are. Maybe he could even be trained to talk to teens about the consequences of their actions or something.
But why do all these unrelated people crave revenge!?!?!?
mr fusion
the world you live in is your own. i see kids in my area doing stupid if not stupider things. I see all the time kids doing things and the system not doing anything. the parents not doing anything. “he is 15 and just a kid” that can not be a excuse. I am glad he feels remorse. He should have jail time though. I am not saying how long or what kind but he should . there has to be a line that no matter who crosses it there should jail time.
As for tallwookie, how stupid can a person be to find this funny? 2 families are affected and he finds this funny? i dont care if it is his opinion its sick. I also can post my opinion about how sick it is. like how you post your opinion that you think i am a idiot. that is also what the second post was for. you bring up good points and all but i believe that if you commit a crime there should be a punishment. I dont think this punishment fit the crime.
Until the next post
“The kid made a stupid, horrendous mistake.”
He didn’t make a mistake, though. He did it perfectly.
A “mistake” is doing something imperfectly.
“But why do all these unrelated people crave revenge!?!?!?”
Um, because the potential for “revenge” (or “justice”, or
“retribution”, or “reckoning”, etc.) is the only thing that
prevents more “mistakes”?
#23, He didn’t make a mistake, though. He did it perfectly. A “mistake” is doing something imperfectly.
He made a serious mistake in judgment. I doubt if the word “perfectly” may be used to describe a mistake in judgment, unless you are so warped that you agree with his actions. A perfect mistake is an oxymoron.
Um, because the potential for “revenge” (or “justice”, or “retribution”, or “reckoning”, etc.) is the only thing that prevents more “mistakes”?
Justice is not synonymous with revenge, retribution or reckoning. That is the fatal error in your comment. Justice is doing what is right. Revenge, retribution, and reckoning mean “getting even” or “settling the score”. And no, “revenge” is not the only way of preventing more mistakes.
but fusion this is where i have trouble.
Throwing a rock was thrown off a bridge on to a road i dont think is a mistake in judgement. Unless he is special delayed or something what did he think the outcome would be?
There was a issue here in my town where some kids lit up a old house that was boarded up and left. So the kids were charged with manslaughter due to 2 homeless people were in there and killed.
That was a mistake but when someone does something like that or throwing a rock onto a bridge what do they think? This is why i think this is a parenting issue also. Where was this kids judgement ?
I know you cant comment on this kid as you dont know him but im curious what you think.
Also I do see what your saying about punishment now. It is a good point but i still think for a issue where a person is killed jail time should happen.
There are three possible outcomes to tossing a rock that size from a bridge at cars below. 1) Miss or hit, but it bounces of with no damage done. At worst, the driver is scared, but maintains control. 2) Hits and someone is injured directly or as a result of an accident. 3) Hits and someone is killed.
It is highly unlikely he was dropping the stone to miss, so his intention was to hit a car. That makes it a deliberate, conscious act. A 15 year old, unless retarded and nothing in the article indicates he was, should know that a rock that big will cause damage. A non-retarded 15 year old should know he could kill someone.
In a situation like this, a mistake would be tossing the rock without looking, not realizing it would go over the side. The article indicates he was the “ringleader” of a group delibertately tossing rocks onto vehicles. A “serious mistake in judgement” would be tossing a small stone at a car. Tossing a large, heavy rock as big as he did is not a mistake. It was done to cause deliberate damage. This indicates a desire to hurt someone. Other 15 year olds (and younger) who deliberately hurt or kill people are often tried as adults such as the teenagers who set a homeless man on fire some years ago. I suppose you’d consider that was a “mistake” on their parts as youngsters playing around.
The problem is we don’t have a resonable alternative for this kid. Jail, mental institution or house arrest. Too much or not enough. What he really needs is intense counciling to get the training to be a caring, thnking human being that he apparently never got at home.
26,
Yep,
I also Liked my idea of going around the correctional instituions and gathering the inmates MISTAKES, and writing them up,
John,
Did you read the story? The guilty guy stepped forward to prevent another guy from being charged, and the victims family requested that he not serve any jail time.
Uncle Dave, I really like your comment. You have such a cultured way of expressing your thoughts.
I said earlier, the US is the only western country that puts punishment ahead of rehabilitation. To the point where it is a foreign concept to a great many if not most Americans. So many people have mentioned on this subject and similar ones that suggest “hey he killed someone, lock ‘im up for life”. (Of course I am paraphrasing) Your last paragraph raises that issue. The choice is do we waste another person to a life as a hardened criminal or help him rejoin society as a useful member.
I think there is a disconnect between dropping a rock onto a freeway and torching a man. While the result may be the same, torching is much more up close and personal. Dropping the rock doesn’t show you the victim. Torching a person is much more psychopathic in my opinion. It is almost the same as a garrote vs poison.
Shoot, the kid is 15. We won’t allow a 15 yr old to drive a car or drop out of school (except in Mississippi maybe) simply because we recognize they are too immature to make a responsible decision. When I was 15, I did some things that I shouldn’t have. No one got hurt, but I still shouldn’t have done them. It was only a few years later that I fully realized the importance of my errors in judgment. My life has turned out fairly alright. I’m sure most people on this blog could tell a story of when they did something very stupid / dangerous / illegal at that age, so my life is nothing special. When 15 yr olds are tried in adult court, it is usually for an extremely violent crime such as 1st degree murder or extremely vicious assault. Manslaughter is rarely tried in adult court..
If I sat on that bench, would I have given him the same sentence? I don’t know. When the victim’s family stand up and say they don’t want the boy to be sent to jail, that would truly influence any decision. Then, would ten years hard time stop someone else from doing the same thing? No. Because when people commit a crime they don’t do it with the thought of getting caught. The prevention of a crime has more to do with the responsibilities and maturity of the person; how wrong they view it. For example, we all know speeding is more dangerous as well as illegal, yet we ALL do it because we believe we won’t have an accident or be caught.
For his pre-sentence report, I’m sure he was evaluated psychologically for psychopathic tendencies. I also feel confident that he would attend any counseling ordered by his probation officer. And every day when he looks in the mirror, he will remember he killed a man. And no sentence would top that.
So,
If I had aLOT of bottle rockets, and Mortors for the 4th of July, nad AIMED them at your home, and fired them OFF….
ANd your HOME lit on fire, you wouldnt get too excited??
the KID WAS 15, and is NOW 19. In all honesty, if he had been in jail in that time, It would have ended soon.
If he had Kicked a rock off the overpass,
If he had been leaning on the rock, and it fell over the top,
But, It looks like 2 persons Carried a LARGE ROCK(basketball size) to the top of an over pass, to drop it onto the freeway…
Why??
To make a HOLE in the road?
To see if the Rock would break??
To Make a traffic Concern?
to drop on a car??
To watch it BOUNCE??
To scare an Oncoming Car??
to see what would happen if someone Ran over it??
and the parents didnt instill into them WHAT cars are like?? WHAT, the kid thought a car, is like a tank??
Even if the intent wasnt to HIT a car. they were deliberately placing a Obsticle into a traffic situation. IF this is a freeway, then that only gives the driver 3-5 seconds to see and decide WHAT TO DO.
HITTING a moving car, is NOT easy, and takes abit of planing and timing. It is much easier to MISS a car, then to HIT one. and they couldnt HEAR one coming?? Or didnt care enough to LOOK at the other SIDE of the overpass.
I will mention something HERE. I had to grow up EARLY and fast in my life. But dropping a ROCK the size of a basket ball onto a FREEWAY, has never occured to me. Rocks and pebbles, MAYBE. But a small boulder, that probably weighed about 20 lbs, 7-9 kilos???
Oncoming traffic speed, 50mph, 80Kph, plus the acceleration of a 20 lbs ROCK from 50 feet….OWWW.. Intercepting a car at such a speed?? VERY HARD., could have shot the car with a bazooka easier, and done about as much damage.(without explosives). Might as well sit in town and fire your 9mm, 30.06 into the air at random…. AND PRAY you dont hit someone… And if I did that, and DID hit someone, what would the outcome be?? a small fine?? He has to remember what happened, and get ENOUGH education to THINK about occurrances. AT LEAST get Cause and affect, INTO HIS HEAD.
I would at least get him to do as I suggested before. go talk with those in jail, that MADE little mistakes. And Write them down. and write up his OWN, and them submit them to the Jude for evaluation, and grading.