The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 4 - 46. Chapter 46 – The Verdict and Sentences

When we arrived at school on Wednesday, I could almost feel the anticipation in the air as everyone – students, faculty, and staff – was expecting a verdict soon. The Judge was prepared to give the case to the jury today, and although we weren’t sure how long they might deliberate, we’d be dealing with this sense of anticipation until the verdict was handed down.

It was difficult keeping the students’ attention on what we were doing, so I quickly switched plans and used this as a review day and went over what we’d been covering for the past week. It seemed to work better than introducing something new, and I have to admit that it was working out better for me as well, because now I wouldn’t have to prepare new lesson plans for the next day. I wasn’t sure if I would have been able to do that effectively right now because I was also curious about what the outcome of the trial was going to be.

When we got home that evening, Joshie and Benny immediately raced to turn on the TV, because they were hoping they might hear something about the trial before the evening news came on. No sooner than the TV came into focus than the ‘Breaking News’ banner flashed across the screen. When the scene switched from the banner to the announcer, he revealed the breaking news.

“The jury was given the case of the students accused of simple assault and indecent sexual assault against a transgender student this morning. It only took them a little more than three-hours to reach a verdict and they found each of the defendants guilty on all charges. The young men were whisked off to their jail cells and Judge Jacobs ordered all parties to give him their sentencing recommendations by Monday. He will sentence the guilty parties on Wednesday.”

“Damn, the whole thing is over and it took less than two weeks!” stated Joshie.

“Yes. As I told you before, it doesn’t take long when you’ve got plenty of evidence,” said Dad. “They not only had a video of what took place, but they also had witnesses to corroborate what the video showed, as well as being able to fill in the gaps of what the jury couldn’t see on the video.”

When the news came on a short time later, not only did the anchors repeat that news, but they also announced that a second trial would be starting a week from Monday. This time, the boys who’d groped and fondled Tamara were going on trial, but only the two that didn’t accept the plea agreement. They would be treated as adults and charged with simple assault and indecent sexual assault like the others. The pair that had accepted the plea deal and had already been adjudicated as juveniles would be testifying against them. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I, or the students, could handle.

Joshie and Benny were still talking about the trial we’d just finished and the upcoming trial when we called the boys to dinner, but once we sat down things began to change, although only slightly. Now that the boys knew those who’d assaulted Tamara had been convicted, they began speculating on what their sentences were going to be. Some things never change.

For the rest of the evening, those two attempted to break down the status of those convicted into different groups. There were the boys who’d offered to cooperate and testified against the others, those who held her down and gambled by refusing to cooperate, the boy who’d actually taken off Tamara’s clothes, and the boy who’d videoed the entire thing. Joshie and Benny felt it was possible that each group would receive different sentences, and now they were busy trying to predict what those sentences might be.

When we arrived at school the next morning, the place was once again abuzz with speculation about how much time each boy would receive, and I was certain Joshie and Benny were leading the discussion. Even though the students were somewhat distracted, I did my best to get them to focus on class and presented the new material. I knew I’d have to review it later, because I was convinced they had missed quite a lot due to their preoccupation with current events, but this would have to suffice for now.

Friday went about the same as Thursday, although I thought my students absorbed a little more of the material today, but I was certain I’d need to review it as well. I was glad that we had the weekend in between and there wouldn’t be any new information until Wednesday, when the Judge handed down the sentences. That meant I might be able to teach them something the first three days of the school week, but they would probably be just as distracted the last two days as they were this week.

When we arrived home after school, I was mentally and emotionally drained from the week and ready for some time away from thinking about the trial AND my classes. As soon as we walked through the front door, I told Joshie and Benny I didn’t want to talk about the upcoming verdicts for the next two days and they should give us all a break from the anxiety surrounding the trial. I got the impression that they weren’t happy about my request, but they agreed to honor it, so maybe I’d be able to regain my mental and emotional equilibrium by Monday morning.

Instead of thinking about what was going on in the legal system, Joshie and Benny spent much of their time taking their younger brothers tobogganing, to the delight of the younger boys. While they were doing that, Dion and I were spending time catching up on the household chores, and Danny and Brandon helped out with those duties when they weren’t working at the Health Center. The normalcy of doing those things gave me time to refocus for the upcoming week, so by Sunday, I was ready to start planning my week at school.

When we arrived at the high school on Monday, I was pleased to discover that the students were talking about what they’d done over

the weekend, rather than about the trial. I felt we were off to a great start. In fact, it was actually nice to be able to teach for the full period today, rather than reviewing or teaching for only part of the class. We had a lot of ground to make up.

This was also true on Tuesday, but the situation began to deteriorate on Wednesday. This was because the students began arguing about the sentences they expected the boys who’d been convicted would receive. One of the discussions took place in the hallway and got pretty heated, but fortunately there was a teacher nearby who was able step in and break it up before the disagreement got physical.

As soon as we arrived home that evening, Joshie and Benny raced to the TV and turned it on. While they were waiting for the news to come on, Dad told Dion and me that he’d heard about the sentences the students received earlier in the day.

“I thought the judge was more than fair when he handed down the sentences, but I’m going to let the boys find out that information for themselves. I’m busy fixing dinner and don’t want to play Twenty Questions with them while answering their queries about what it all means.”

“Ok, we’ll take care of that, if we can,” responded Dion.

“If not, I don’t mind helping out, because we should be eating by then.”

When the news came on, this is what the announcer said: “Rather than attempting to explain the sentences to you, I’ll let Judge Jacobs speak for himself. I can do this because our cameras were allowed in the courtroom during sentencing.”

Judge Jacobs then appeared on the screen, sitting behind the bench, and we heard him speak. “I can’t emphasize enough about how appalled I still am concerning your actions. It’s disgraceful that you would treat another human being in such a manner, so I don’t feel badly for handing down the following sentences.

“In the matter of the two young men who cooperated with the court and testified against the others. On the simple assault charge, which is a second-degree misdemeanor, I sentence you to one year in jail and two years probation. I will suspend the jail portion of the sentence, but if you break the terms of probation you will immediately be sent to jail to serve the year behind bars.

“On the indecent sexual assault charge, which is a misdemeanor in the first degree, I sentence you to two years in prison and five years probation. I will suspend the prison sentence, but if you break the terms of probation you will immediately be sent to prison to serve the full sentence. These sentences will be served consecutively, which means you will serve the sentence on the simple assault charge first, followed by the sentence on the indecent sexual assault charge.”

The camera then panned to the defense table and we could see the boys breathing a sigh of relief, since they wouldn’t be serving any time locked up. However, it was also clear they weren’t totally happy with the sentence.

“I will now move on to the young man who took the video and posted it online. Due to your cooperation, the DA has agreed to reduce the charges from the manufacture and distribution of child pornography to viewing child pornography. You’re lucky in this regard because the video showed the genitals of the person being attacked. The initial charge would have been a second-degree felony, while the second charge is a third-degree felony. On that charge I sentence you to three years in prison and five years probation, but I’ll suspend the prison sentence. However, if you break the terms of probation you will immediately be picked up and sent to prison to serve the full sentence. You are fortunate, because the sentence for the original charge would have placed you in prison for up to ten years.”

When the camera focused on him, we could see he was upset when he heard his sentence, but a look of shock and relief soon appeared when he heard the Judge’s final comments. It seems that what he thought was the most harmless offense committed turned out to be the most severe, since the student he videoed was considered to be a minor at the time.

“For those of you who refused to cooperate, these will be your sentences. On the simple assault charge, which is a second-degree misdemeanor, I sentence you to two years in jail and five years probation. However, unlike the others, I will not suspend the jail portion of your sentence and you shall start serving it once court is adjourned.”

Multiple gasps could be heard throughout the courtroom, and a couple of the mothers cried out in anguish for their sons. After the Judge called the courtroom to order again, he continued.

“On the indecent sexual assault charge, which is a misdemeanor in the first degree, I sentence you to five years in prison and seven years probation. I will, however, suspend the prison sentence, but if you break the terms of probation you will immediately be picked up and sent to prison. These sentences are to be served consecutively, and as I told the others, it means you will serve the sentence on the simple assault charge first, followed by the sentence on the indecent sexual assault charge.

“In addition to the sentences I have already handed down, each of you will have to register as a Tier 1 sex offender. This means you will have to appear at a Pennsylvania State Police office every year for the next fifteen years to have your photo taken. If you don’t commit another sex crime within that time, it will end your requirements. Bailiff, will you please take the boys who have been sentenced to jail into custody and have them transferred to the jail to begin serving their sentences. Court is adjourned.”

The Judge then slammed down his gavel and the Bailiff and a couple of sheriff’s deputies took charge of the boys going to jail. They placed handcuffs on them and began leading them away, and their mothers reached out over the restraining railing and tried to touch them before they were taken out of the courtroom. Being unable to say goodbye to their sons, the mothers were crying hysterically, and I believe this made an indelible impression on Joshie and Benny.

“Whoa, he was really rough on them!” gasped Joshie once the news report ended.

“Yeah, he sentenced them to jail on the first charge and prison on the other one!” added Benny.

“But he suspended those sentences for the boys who cooperated and only placed them on probation,” I pointed out. “The boys who didn’t cooperate weren’t as fortunate.”

“Yeah, but if any of them screw up while they’re on probation then they’ll have to do the time,” stated Benny.

“And they’ll have to serve them one after the other,” noted Joshie. “And they’re also gonna be listed as sex offenders.”

“Yes, he sentenced them to serve their sentences consecutively rather than concurrently, which would have meant they’d serve them at the same time. And because of their crimes, they now have to register as sex offenders for the next fifteen years.”

“I didn’t think the Judge would be that tough on them,” said Joshie.

“Me either,” added Benny.

“That’s what happens when you do crap like that,” interjected Dad, and Dion and I merely nodded in agreement.

After dinner, we told Joshie and Benny to forget about the sentences those boys had received and to concentrate on doing their homework instead. They did as we asked and we hoped they not only finished their assignments, but they did a good job on them as well.

As expected, it was very difficult to teach anything on Thursday, because the students wanted to talk about the various sentences instead. To top it off, in addition to those sentences, the boys were also facing punishments from the school. Those who had cooperated were going to endure a three-month in-house suspension and be banned from all after school activities, and the others were going to be expelled. I guess the expulsion didn’t seem as severe now, since they were going to be in jail anyway.

Once again, I did review sessions during the day, rather than trying to present new material, because I doubted I would have my student’s complete attention. It worked out fairly well, though, and I hoped Friday would be even better so I could move on with new material, but that was not to be the case.

By the time we got to school Friday morning, word was already spreading that the two boys who were scheduled to go on trial the following week had recently agreed to a plea deal. They would plead guilty for a sentence recommendation that they receive the same sentence as the boys who’d cooperated in the first trial. It seemed that they were scared the judge would give them the same sentence as the others who hadn’t cooperated, and they wanted to avoid that, if possible.

This once again sent the students into a mild tizzy as they discussed this turn of events, but this time I attempted to control the situation and proceeded with my intended lesson nonetheless. I’m not convinced about how effective I was, but I couldn’t afford to have another review session.

I was glad when the school day ended because I was exhausted, not physically, but mentally and emotionally. When I met up with Joshie and Benny later, they also wanted to talk about the recent turn of events, but I asked them to wait until we got to the house because I needed a little time to unwind first. They agreed to cut me some slack and went along with my request, and since they immediately went to turn on TV to see if there was anything on the news about this, it gave me a little more time. In fact, they even waited until after dinner before they brought it up again.

When they did, their primary question was this. “Do you think the DA really offered them a plea agreement or their lawyers just kept pushing for it, cuz they’re suppose to go to trial on Monday?” asked Joshie.

“It could have been either. I know it is kind of late in the process, but the DA might have done it so he didn’t have to conduct another trial. It will also free up some court time so they can deal with other cases.”

“Ok, I was just wonderin’.”

“So, the judge will have to go along with the deal then?” followed Benny.

“The judge has the ability to accept or deny the plea agreement, and he also has discretion to modify the terms of the plea agreement,” I answered.

“What do you mean by that?”

“First of all, he has to decide if he thinks the plea agreement is reasonable and fair, and he can reject it if he doesn’t agree. He also has some say over the sentence recommendation, so he may or may not give them the exact same deal that he gave to the others who cooperated. Even if it’s not the same, it probably won’t be as bad as he gave the others.”

“So why agree to it?”

“Because they’ll probably end up getting a break on sentencing, but it may not be as big of a break as they want. However, if they went to trial and were found guilty, the judge might give them a more severe sentence than he gave any of the others.”

“Ok, I guess it makes sense then.”

After the boys went to bed that evening, Danny called the rest of us together to talk. We had no idea what he wanted to discuss, but it seemed to be important to him, so we all sat down to hear what he had to say.

“Earlier today, I heard some very disturbing news from one of my colleagues,” he began. “It seems there was an outbreak of a new disease in the Wuhan province in China and it’s highly contagious. The World Health Organization has gone on record to declare this an emergency situation in order to deal with the outbreak. The W.H.O. is also warning all countries to be on the lookout for anyone who shows the symptoms of this disease and to quarantine them immediately. They have also advised all countries about how to test and manage this disease, and it sounds really scary.”

“Have there been any cases in the US?” asked Dad.

“Yes, the first case in the US was reported about a week ago. This disease spread quickly from China to other countries in Western Asia and now it has been reported in 18 other countries as well, including the US. In fact, certain international airports are already screening incoming passengers for the disease. We don’t know a lot about it or how long it takes before symptoms begin to appear, so it is possible people can get through the screening before they appear to be ill. This means there’s also a possibility the disease may have infected even more people and spread to other parts of the country without us knowing it.”

“So how does it spread?” followed Dion.

“It’s a virus, similar to the flu, but it’s more severe. It leads to acute respiratory problems and spreads from person to person, but no one is exactly sure how it is spread. It may be passed along through physical contact, be an airborne transmission, or it might be spread by touching contaminated items. They just don’t know, so we must protect against all three forms of transmission.”

“So, it’s like the flu?” questioned Dad.

“Yes, the symptoms are very similar, but this disease is more deadly and it’s highly contagious. There’s currently no vaccine for it like there is for the flu, and you may hear it referred to in two different ways. The first is calling it coronavirus…”

“CORONAvirus, like in the beer?” interrupted Pop. “Did this come about due to a problem with brewing beer?”

“No, it has nothing to do with the beer. It’s just a term they used for it, because when you examine the virus under an electron microscope it appears to have a corona, or halo, surrounding it. Coronavirus is the name of the virus, and the name of the disease is COVID-19, with the 19 referring to the year it was first reported. To give you another example, HIV is the name of the virus and AIDS is the name of the disease.”

“Ok, I get it now. So, this is a brand new disease,” I mused.

“It is and it isn’t. There are other coronaviruses, such as MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, but this is a new type of coronavirus. In fact, today the W.H.O. declared a global health emergency, and this disease has the potential of becoming a global pandemic.”

“Damn, that doesn’t sound good,” said Dad.

“No, it doesn’t,” agreed Danny.

“So, what do you suggest?” I asked.

“I encourage everyone to wash their hands frequently, especially the boys, and to stay away from people with sniffles or are sneezing or coughing a lot. We should also start sanitizing all surfaces in order to prevent accidental transmission when contacting contaminated objects.”

“Should we start keeping the boys inside?”

“No, I believe being outside might be safer than being in an enclosed space, but just keep an eye on them and make sure they wash their hands frequently or use hand sanitizer. Brandon and I will pick up several bottles of hand sanitizer from Kevin’s pharmacy before we come home from work tomorrow.”

“Ok, sounds good,” we agreed.

As it turned out, the weekend was really lovely and the temperature was milder than we’d been experiencing, although not warm enough to melt the snow. It made it better for the kids when they went out tobogganing, though, because they didn’t return to the house half-frozen and have to be thawed out.

When we went to church on Sunday, we advised the boys not to get too close to others and we all washed our hands at the diner before sitting down to eat. We also washed our hands again when we arrived home and before we let the boys go outside to play. In fact, this time Danny, Brandon, Dion, and I got dressed to go out with them and we took the third toboggan. The four of us then took turns going down the hill with the boys, something we all enjoyed.

“That was a lot of fun,” said Xander as we were heading back to the house. “I didn’t know you guys knew how to do that.”

“Of course, we did,” replied Brandon. “We used to do things like that when we were younger, and we’re not so old that we would forget how it was done.”

The rest of the day was fairly low-key, except that we talked to the boys about staying healthy. We asked them to wash their hands more frequently at school and we told them to try to keep their distance from others as much as possible, without making it appear that they were completely avoiding them. We even had a discussion and demonstration on how to do this, so they would be safe without hurting anyone’s feelings. We also stressed that anyone coming into contact with TJ was to make sure they’d washed their hands first, as well as afterward. When doing this, we emphasized that TJ has some underlying health problems and we must try to protect him as much as possible.

Monday was a fairly normal school day for us, but Danny had told us he was going to call the school nurse at each school to discuss this new disease with them. He also wanted them to speak with the principal and come up with procedures they could use to keep the entire school safe.

In addition to this new threat, it appeared that no one had heard anything more about the situation with the second group of boys facing charges. That changed, however, when we got home and the evening news came on TV.

“The trial of two additional students accused of simple assault and indecent sexual assault on the transgender student at the high school was scheduled to begin today,” the announcer stated. “However, there was an unexpected last-minute development as the DA and defendants’ attorneys reached a plea agreement on Friday. They presented it to Judge Jacobs, and rather than beginning the trial today, the judge officially accepted the agreement and announced their sentence immediately. We will now show you a video of what he said.”

The scene then shifted from the announcer to a shot of the judge sitting behind the bench in the courtroom as he spoke. “I am willing to accept the plea agreement that you’ve reached, but I’m going to modify the sentence you agreed to slightly. I’m doing this because not only did these boys refuse to cooperate like the other two charged with the same crimes, they also committed a more serious offense than the young men who appeared before me previously. They actually groped the genitals of the transgender student or fondled her breasts, so I feel the sentence should reflect this fact, so here is my decision.

“On the simple assault charge, a misdemeanor in the second-degree, I sentence you to two years in jail and five years probation. I will not suspend the jail portion of your sentence and you will start serving it immediately.”

Once again, we could hear gasps and cries of those in the courtroom as the Judge continued.

“On the indecent sexual assault charge, a first-degree misdemeanor, I sentence you to five years in prison and ten years probation. I will, however, suspend the prison sentence, but if you break the terms of probation you will immediately be sent to prison. These sentences are to be served consecutively and you’ll serve the sentence on the simple assault charge first, followed by the sentence on the indecent sexual assault charge.

“In addition to the sentences I’ve just handed down, both of you will have to register as a Tier 1 sex offender. You will have to appear at a Pennsylvania State Police office every year for the next fifteen years to have your photo taken. If you don’t commit another sex crime within that time, it will end your requirement. Bailiff, will you please take the boys into custody and escort them to the jail to begin serving their sentences. Court is adjourned.”

As the bailiff and sheriff’s deputy were approaching that pair, we could see the two boys turning toward their attorneys and we heard one of them speak. “I thought there wasn’t gonna be any jail time!”

“That’s what we recommended, but the Judge used his prerogative to modify the sentences. He has the authority to do that.”

Both boys were stunned as they were being handcuffed, and their mothers were screaming and crying as they were being led out of the courtroom. It was a very dramatic scene and I was certain it would leave an indelible impression on others so they might not try doing anything quite as stupid in the future.

“Damn, that Judge was really tough on them too,” noted Benny.

“I bet those two are sorry that they didn’t do like the other two and get sentenced as juveniles,” commented Joshie.

“And I bet the first two are very glad they did that now,” added Benny.

“Yes, those are the types of risks you take when you decide to roll the dice when dealing with the legal system,” concurred Dad. “Don’t forget, the school district will also be expelling them, but I guess they won’t care about that now, since they’ll be in jail.”

“Will those guys all be in jail together?” asked Joshie.

“It depends on their age. Those younger than 18 will be separated from the other boys and the other prisoners, since they’re minors, but once they turn 18, they’ll go in with everyone else. I expect they’ll all remain at the local jail as long as it doesn’t become overcrowded. If it does, the younger boys will probably remain where they are, but it’s possible that some of the older boys or other prisoners will get transferred to a facility with more room.”

“Damn, will that be far away?” asked Benny.

“It depends on what facilities have room and how many they can accept. It could happen close by, or it might also be much farther away.”

“Damn, it would really suck if that happened,” observed Joshie.

“Yes, it would, because depending on where they were sent, their parents may not be able to get there on visiting days.”

“That would really suck then.”

“Yes, it would,” agreed Dion.

The good thing was that the trials were now over and we could put this incident behind us, although I had a feeling the entire school would be consumed with talking about it tomorrow. It looked as if I’d be doing another review day, but this should be the last one – I hope.

As I expected, the students were all talking about what they’d seen on the news the previous night, and as hard as I tried, it was nearly impossible to get them to focus on what we were doing in class. I held another review session, although I can’t say it was very effective, but with a little luck, things will get back to normal tomorrow and the rest of the week.

In fact, that’s exactly how it worked out and our lives returned to normal once again. I was able to start using my lesson plans and actually teaching. Let’s hope this is the last distraction we have during the rest of this school year.