The parents of the victim have refused to file charges, but police can bring charges themselves depending on the outcome of the investigation, Hamilton police Sgt. Ed Buns told the Journal-News.
Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said he has consulted with Hamilton detectives, and possible charges against the parents could include contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The teenage girls who fought could be charged with disorderly conduct through juvenile court as well, he said.
In the cell phone video, after wrestling on the ground for a minute, one girl eventually gets on top of the other girl and starts hitting her repeatedly in the head with her fists. Several adults surrounded the girls, but no one immediately stopped the fight, the footage showed. In fact, one of the girl’s parents could be heard saying, “get up and stomp her,” and “hard, keep hitting her.”
The adults watched the beating for almost a full minute before a woman says, “Let her up, let her get up,” and a man then pulls the girls apart and they all go their separate ways.
According to police, one of the girl’s parents lives in a house in the 600 block of Stafford Drive. This newspaper has been unable to reach anyone at the home for comment.
Spectators, other than the parents, of this fight can not be charged with a crime because there is no obligation by law to break up a fight — namely because of the personal injury risk to those who would try to separate those involved, Gmoser said.
Fighting among children, no matter the age, should not be encouraged, Gmoser said. The older children get the more serious injuries they can inflict on one another, including death, the prosecutor said.
“It’s called one-punch homicide,” Gmoser said.
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