craigdailypress.com

To the editor,

I read with interest and disgust the letter from Debbie Aaberg regarding the DA's office and the treatment of her son's case. Ironically, I have a similar situation except for my son was not on the receiving end; that is, he did the hitting. My son caused no bleeding, no broken bones and no threats of future violence. Unlike Ms. Aaberg's son's attacker, my son was initially charged with third-degree assault and a fifth-degree felony calling his actions "ethnic intimidation" because the other male was of Mexican descent. We were told by the diversion officer that our son could receive "diversion" which would include one year supervised probation, 35 hours of community service, an anger management class and, of course, a fine. Now for the kicker: Our son was an 11-year-old, sixth-grader at recess.

The school took appropriate action and suspended both children for fighting, as it was not a one-sided attack on a poor little Spanish-speaking boy like the DA's office tried to imply. The DA's office later dropped the felony charge, thankfully, but only after numerous letters were written on my son's behalf by his teachers, principals, coaches and friend's parents. My son earned straight A's this semester, has been chosen as both a "Go- Getter" and a "CIS Good Citizen," was one of about eight kids chosen to be a "fifth-grade helper," played top chair in the band and is a healthy, normal, athletic kid.

I find it frightening that under the authority of Bonnie Roesink, the DA's office spends our tax payers' money on an 11-year-old boy's scuffle at school and not on a vicious assault resulting in significant injuries. Ms. Aaberg's son was ripped off -- they filed his attacker's charges on my sixth-grade boy! When justice isn't served or is totally distorted, we all lose.