Thread: False Report Charge For Girl In Athens School Attack

False Report Charge For Girl In Athens School Attack


04/09/08 - Athens

New devolpments today in the case of a supposed beating of a student from Athens ISD.

13 year old Melanie Bowers is having charges filed against her by Athens ISD today through the Henderson County Attorney's office for filing a false report, said Athens ISD officials today.

Bowers had claimed that she was beaten and threatened by a group of students at Athens ISD last Friday for creating a protest sign saying, "If you love our nation, stop illegal immigration."

After the incident, administrators reviewed videotapes of the incident which showed Bowers scratching herself on her arm. Some students reportedly threw her project into the trash, but no physical attacks or threats were substantiated.

Bowers' parents have reportedly apologized to school administrators for their daughter and Bowers' father is agreeing with the charges against her.

KLTV 7 News will have a video exclusive of the tape from Athens ISD tonight on KLTV 7 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 pm.

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8142322

Where did this story originate, and how? How did this story spin out of control so quickly? And why? The AP carried this? Why? Talk about muddy waters!

Something stinks in Denmark!

Why is this report not coming from the Police, but from the school?

If she did lie about the whole thing, she needs to be held liable and apologize to the students she falsely accused, as well as the school administrators. Her parents then need to get her some professional help.

Why in the world would a 13 year old want to bring this kind of attention to herself? She put herself and her parents in an awful spot.

Another thing that bothers me is I saw a comment on the newspapers website HOURS before the press conference. Go back and read all her posts, alot of which are race baiting.

[quote] Dee321 wrote:
She Lied. Announcement coming out at 2:45 this afternoon.
She will be arrested for making False Reports.
The Latino Community wants an APOLOGY for all of these False Allegations, anger, racial verbal threats, etc by the commenters here and on other ANTI forums.
But don´t worry. We won´t hold our breath waiting for it!
-----------
ATHENS — Athens Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Hayes will hold a press conference at 2:45 p.m. today to address a recent incident involving an alleged attack on a student.
Hayes said the school is nearing the end of the investigation and said one student will face charges stemming from the case. When asked if the young woman’s claim she was attacked by a large group of students could be substantiated, Hayes said the information will come out in the press conference, but that the student charged will be charged with “false claim.â€

I am not into the forensic sciences, but I am a mother. In the video, those scratches on her face look consistent with scratches made from falling hard on the pavement. I don't know how she could have scratched herself in that pattern. They reported earlier that the incident took place in a "blind" corner and the cameras did not catch it. The principal would not let her call home when it happened. This just doesn't seem to add up for me.

if she is changing her story they most likely had alot of death threats made on her and or family.

Originally Posted by dgremark

if she is changing her story they most likely had alot of death threats made on her and or family.

That's my feeling.

We put out the email of the news articles and TV newscast today. I spent hours on the phone trying to get a police report.

The way it works in Athens is there is the Athens police department, but there is one officer in charge of Athens High School ISD department named Paul Reddish. I left a voicemail, but never heard back from him.

I am not clear on this, are they saying she filed a false report because she was not attacked or because she embellished details of the attack?

W

OK folks, we need copies of this report and video as soon as we can get our hands on it. If this girl lied we need to get a correction out to our supporters as soon as humanly possible.

W

School says Athens girl lied about immigration poster assault
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 04/09/2008 03:49:15 PM MDT


ATHENS, Texas—School officials say an eighth-grader lied when she told them a pack of angry classmates assaulted her over an anti-illegal immigration poster she brought to campus.
Athens Superintendent Fred Hayes said Wednesday that surveillance video shows 13-year-old Melanie Bowers inflicting scratch marks on herself after her poster was taken.

Bowers' poster for a class project read, "If you love our nation, stop illegal immigration."

Three Hispanic students had been suspended for their role in the alleged scuffle. Hayes said their punishment remains valid because they helped take the poster, but did not hurt Bowers in doing so.

Hayes said the school district has asked police to file criminal charges against the girl for filing a false report.

http://extra.examiner.com/linker/?url=h ... %5F8866736

AISD investigates alleged beating

Father: 8th-grade daughter’s project about illegal immigration sparked attack by 21 students

By Angela Weatherford

An Athens Middle School student is alleging she was attacked and beaten last week by 21 fellow students in response to a project for her history class regarding illegal immigration.

Melanie Bowers, a 13-year-old eighth grader, arrived at school last Monday, March 31, with her U.S. History project — an 8 1/2 x 11 “protest signâ€