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Teen ordered back to jail

The 16-year-old, charged with making threats on social media, was found in violation of her terms of release.

CLOVIS — The teenager charged this month with sending threatening messages over social media was ordered Friday back into the Curry County Juvenile Detention Center as she awaits a jury trial next month.

The 16-year old was found in violation of conditions of release imposed at an Oct. 5 detention hearing. Following that hearing, she was released into the custody of her mother with a court order to avoid all computer, telephones and other communication devices.

Clovis Police arrested her this month following an investigation of two Snapchat postings Sept. 25 that threatened a mass shooting at Clovis High School and named specific school employees.

For her alleged role in making those posts, the juvenile was charged with several delinquent acts: three counts of assault on a school employee, one count of assault and one count of interference with members of staff or the general public, said Deputy District Attorney Brian Stover.

On Oct. 6, Juvenile Probation Officer Adam Martinez was notified of two Snapchat postings from the juvenile’s brother’s account that pictured the juvenile accompanied with captions indicating her “trending” on news and social media, he testified Friday afternoon in court.

Martinez said he contacted the juvenile regarding the posts that same day and that she told him she took the photos about an hour earlier and was aware of the posts.

Stover argued in court Friday that the posts were a clear violation of the order restricting access to all electronic devices, even if the posts themselves were not threatening.

“(Snapchat) is the very mechanism by which the delinquent act was committed,” he said. “The next day (after her Oct. 5 detention hearing), the child is essentially telling the court, ‘I am not going to obey your order.’”

The juvenile’s defense attorney, Benjamin Herrmann, said all phones in her household have now been deactivated save for her mother’s. He urged Judge Fred Van Soelen to consider that “we treat juveniles differently than we do adults.”

“What we have here is a juvenile that made a mistake, or multiple mistakes,” Herrmann said. “She took a picture with her brother’s phone and it got posted.”

“Everything about this case is juvenile. It shows a lack of judgment but it doesn’t really show a danger ... such that she should be incarcerated.”

The juvenile’s mother does not feel her daughter is being treated fairly.

“I just think they’re trying to put her under the bus,” the mother said. “They’re trying to make an example of my child.”

The Eastern New Mexico News does not routinely identify juveniles charged with crimes.

Judge Fred Van Soelen said he researched the topic the past week and decided to send the juvenile back into the detention center. Her trial is scheduled for Nov. 2.

“I think that I was pretty clear at the hearing on the fifth,” he said. “I thought it was all being taken very seriously by everybody.”

The juvenile is also scheduled for a docket call Oct. 27, said Herrmann.

 
 
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