"7 Grafton teens arrested on witness-intimidation charges" by Alyssa Creamer | Globe Correspondent, January 26, 2014
Seven Grafton teens have been arrested on felony witness-intimidation charges on accusations of harassing the 15-year-old victim of a violent crime, Grafton Police Chief Normand Crepeau Jr. said.
On Jan. 18, the victim’s mother told police of the alleged harassment of her child, Crepeau said in a phone interview Saturday.
He said the victim’s mother told officers that her child was being threatened and demeaned by several acquaintances of a person charged with committing a violent crime against her child last year.
The victim’s mother told police that her child had been repeatedly harassed, “physically and through social media,” at school and elsewhere by a group of teens, said a Grafton police statement issued Friday on Facebook.
The officers investigated and found evidence of harassment on Twitter and Facebook before determining they had probable cause for the seven arrests, Crepeau said.
“Nobody came after this person with a knife or a gun in their hand, but you take it for what it is, and it was harassment. It was threatening. The intimidation factor was there. Threats and comments were made that were upsetting to the victim,” Crepeau said, adding that he believed the altercations between the individuals arrested and the victim were “ongoing” and “escalating” over several months....
Imagine how world leaders feel when the U.S threatens their nation with attack or invasion.
Grafton High School officials assisted police in the investigation, Crepeau said, adding that he could not comment on whether any of the accused teens will face disciplinary actions at school.
“The Grafton Public Schools takes bullying and harassment very seriously,” James Pignataro, Grafton High School principal, said in an e-mail Saturday. “Currently this is being treated as a police matter. We are limited in what we can say at this time but can assure you that we will continue to work closely with the police and will take further school-based actions as needed.”
The high school’s website provides resources about bullying, including definitions of cyberbullying and harassment.
“In this specific case, it’s not just a matter of cyberbullying and harassment,” said Crepeau. “This stemmed from this person being a victim of a crime, and then this person is being victimized again by the acquaintances of the person who committed the crime.”
