The trial of a former Springboro High School student — facing charges stemming from an investigation of a message he posted on the Instagram social network in the days after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. — has been delayed.
A new unruliness charge was filed on Tuesday, alleging the same facts as the previous charges, and prompting the defense to ask for time to prepare. Additional charges also are possible.
The boy was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct in Warren County Juvenile Court stemming from the posting on Instagram including a picture of an Osprey gun with the reference to scoring a “killstreak” in the ‘Call of Duty: MW3’ game and noting a coincidence with the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
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“If u don’t get the joke, it’s because in MW3 17 kills got u an osprey gunner as a kill streak. And it’s funny cuz 17 people died. Lol Get it? HAHa. Nah jk Im demented and death amuses me,” the boy said in the caption to the posting referred to in charging documents.
This morning, he and his parents met with their lawyer before the trial was to begin, after learning of the new charge. Other charges were to be filed today in the case.
The case began on Feb. 16, two days after 17 students or staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school were killed in shooting by a former student.
RELATED: Photos: Shooting at Parkland, Fla., high school
Court records show the boy, 16, of Clearcreek Twp., was detained on Feb. 20, but freed on March 1 on house arrest with electronic monitoring, provided he get mental health counseling, attend a day program at the detention center, follow a no-contact order and be barred from access to weapons or electronic devices.
Last week, the boy’s lawyer, Aaron Aldridge, said the case was different from the dozen other school threat cases filed in Warren County since the latest deadly school shooting.
“There was no threat,” Aldridge said.
“If we’re going to arrest every kid that talks about something in the news, that’s a very slippery slope,” Aldridge added. “I would argue the line is somewhere other than where it is here.”
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