Corpun file 16681

Daily Tribune, Royal Oak, Michigan, 14 September 2005

Man pleads guilty to spanking teens

By Michael P. McConnell
Daily Tribune Staff Writer

FERNDALE — A Ferndale pet shop owner pleaded guilty to assault and battery after police say he spanked two teenage girls who volunteered to help with animals at his store.

Timmy Olson, 46, of Detroit owns the Tank Pet Shop, 3285 Hilton.

He faced two misdemeanor counts of assault and battery after two Ferndale girls, ages 16 and 15, told police he spanked them with a paddle and his hand on occasion.

Olson on Tuesday pleaded guilty to one count of assault and battery in Ferndale 43rd District Court and the second count was dismissed.

"We got a report that he spanked them on the buttocks," said Ferndale Detective Ken Denmark. "He admitted spanking the teens, but said it was done only to discipline the girls when they acted badly in his store."

The girls told their parents about the allegations in April, after Olson told them they were no longer welcome at the store, police said.

The girls had volunteered to help feed the animals and clean cages at the store, which they did for about a month, Denmark said.

"They also claimed he made inappropriate comments to them," he said.

But Olson told police the girls would use vulgar language and make rude comments to passersby.

After pleading guilty Olson was ordered to pay $325 in fines and court costs.

Corpun file 16832

The News-Register, McMinnville, Oregon, 29 September 2005

Mac High addresses hazing issue

By Kate Rowland
Of the News-Register

(extract)

When a Mac High freshman underwent a sophomore-led football hazing this fall, he was ordered to eat a concoction of hot peppers or suffer the consequences. And he complied.

"They said if I didn't eat the hot stuff, they would hit me with the paddle," he said. "I didn't want to get hit with the paddle. It looked like it would hurt."

But the hazing was discovered by coaches, and that triggered a Tuesday evening meeting at Wortman Stadium with officials, players and parents. School representatives gave an explanation of what had been occurring, apparently over a period of years, and detailed their plans to address it.

"Coaches walked into a freshman-sophomore locker room and discovered a sophomore student with a paddle," said Athletics Director Sean Burke. "A sophomore student had a small tree branch and hit freshmen students with it. The next step involved a bamboo stick.

"A paddle was brought in on Monday. Many of them were hit very hard. Some of them had red marks and welts. There were students who were offered a hot chili pepper concoction to avoid being hit."

The youngster describing the incident to a reporter said, "First, they told us to bend over and touch our ankles. They surrounded us. Sometimes they got a running start and they just hit us as hard as they could. They left welts on people's rears. I got hit with the bamboo stick and that left a red line."

From this point forward, said Principal Kris Olsen, if a student is involved in a hazing incident, he will no longer be allowed to participate in school athletic or activity events. But because the school hadn't addressed the issue previously, he said, punishment this time was limited to a brief suspension from school.

That didn't satisfy some of the freshman parents.

"I think the consequences, the punishment, isn't enough for these kids," said Jennifer Fisk. "I don't think these kids should be able to play football the rest of the year.

"You just don't hit people. You don't hit other people's children. Everybody knows that. You're taught that from the time you're in kindergarten."

But Olsen said the consequence was consistent with general school policy for use of force.

"We did not feel we adequately informed the kids about what our expectations were in the area of hazing," he said. "With 14- to 15-year-old kids, you can't assume anything."

[...]