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DA: 3 High School Students To Face Harassment, Ethnic Intimidation Charges After Alleged Bullying Incident

ALLENTOWN, Pa., (CBS) – Three Allen High School students will be charged with harassment and ethnic intimidation as a result of an alleged bullying incident at the school, Lehigh County District Attorney James B. Martin announced on Thursday.

The boys, two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old, have been charged with harassment, a summary offense, and ethnic intimidation, a third-degree misdemeanor, because the victims were allegedly picked out partly because they were white, the District Attorney said.

An affidavit of probable cause for arrest alleges an Allentown detective responded to Allen High School on April 25th for a report of harassment. The detective interviewed all parties involved in the incident and watched a video that had been posted to the Facebook page of one of the defendants.

The alleged incident happened at about 1 p.m. on April 24th. The affidavit alleges three boys sitting at a table in the school's cafeteria were approached by three boys who allegedly started making comments about them, used profanities and made remarks about "their race, stature and appearance, such as the glasses they were wearing."

According to the affidavit, two of the boys allegedly decided to make a "smack cam video." One of the boys allegedly used his cell phone to record subsequent events and self-narrated what he called "Smack Cam 3," the affidavit said.

The affidavit alleges a security officer passed by, and one of the boys remarked that he didn't care, using profanity.

Another boy then walked over to one of the victims and slapped him on the back of the head, the affidavit said. The other two boys started laughing. The victim turned around briefly and then resumed playing cards.

One of the three boys also allegedly walked up behind the victim and started playing with his hair, the affidavit said.

The affidavit also alleges one of the boys sat at the table with the victims, while another boy made comments about one of the victims, used profanity and called the victim names.

The affidavit said that boy then took close ups of the three boys at the table and concluded the video by saying, "That was a Smack Cam 3. All right, we done."

Neither the juvenile defendants nor the victims are being identified because of their age, District Attorney Martin said.

The District Attorney also says the juveniles are not likely to be detained and that the cases will be heard by a juvenile master in Lehigh County.

The school district does not comment on specific student disciplinary matters, Allentown School District Superintendent C. Russell Mayo told CBSPhilly on Thursday.

The Superintendent said the district is conducting their own investigation in accordance to their code of conduct.  The Superintendent also added the district does not want any student to feel uncomfortable or unsafe at school.

"We are doing our due diligence to see that students do not repeat that type of behavior," Superintendent Mayo said.  "We take it seriously and do not condone that kind of behavior."

 

 

 

 

 

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