Juvenile cases resolved
LISA HOBBS - News Editor
Criminal cases involving five teen boys arrested in June of this year have been resolved in Juvenile Court.
All were charged with vandalism of property, while one of the five received an additional charge of aggravated assault after purportedly hitting homeowner Josh Winfree with the vehicle he was driving and propelling him over the windshield and into a ditch. According to the victim, the incident was the culmination of an almost year-long bullying, cyberstalking, harassment and vandalism campaign against the family due to his daughter rejecting a date request by one of the boys involved.
The Warren County Way reached out to Winfree on Tuesday, Aug. 4, for an update.
“I wasn’t there, but I was told they got curfew, no social media, CPS [child protective services] visits for one year, and driver license suspended,” Winfree stated. “The driver of the car received all that, as well, but his driver’s license was suspended for two years.”
The Warren County Way cannot verify those outcomes. Because the cases were in Juvenile Court, names of the boys are withheld and how their cases were resolved are kept confidential.
Winfree says he was also told that two boys, one of which was the driver, claimed they were not involved in the prior instances and that they expressed regret and were apologetic.
“Also, the Sheriff’s Department and DA opened a case about the ongoing harassment, so now the information will be there if needed in the future,” said Winfree. “They investigated all the problems, including at school. The two boys from the high school had four stay-away orders each, all for bullying, all against females.”
After the arrests and The Warren County Way’s article titled “They left me for dead,” Winfree says he has been contacted by at least a dozen families who relayed similar retaliations against their daughters by teenage boys.
“It’s terrifying how common this is,” he stated.
While being interviewed for the previous article, Winfree expressed his belief that this incident would be swept under the rug and he was against allowing that to take place. This week, upon being asked if he was satisfied with the cases’ outcomes, he stated, “I am happy if they never come back to my house or contact my daughter again, but I am not happy if they do. Tomorrow is the first day of school, so we will see how things go.”
Winfree expressed appreciation to The Warren County Way for its assistance in drawing attention to the problem.
“I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you took the time to hear my problem,” he stated. “As far as it goes for your article, I truly believe none of this would have happened if you hadn’t written it.”