Secret Service questions teen. Isn't this taking it a little to far?

Question

AP
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Upset by the war in Iraq, Julia Wilson vented her frustrations with President Bush last spring on her Web page on MySpace.com.

She posted a picture of the president, scrawled “Kill Bush” across the top and drew a dagger stabbing his outstretched hand. She later replaced her page on the social-networking site after learning in her eighth-grade history class that such threats are a federal offense.
It was too late.

Federal authorities had found the page and placed Wilson on their checklist. They finally reached her this week in her molecular biology class.

The 14-year-old freshman was taken out of class Wednesday and questioned for about 15 minutes by two Secret Service agents. The incident has upset her parents, who said the agents should have included them when they questioned their daughter.
Wilson said the agents threatened her by saying she could be sent to juvenile hall for making the threat.

Answer 1

The girl, regardless of her age, expressed a desire to harm the president. This is a federal crime on a felony level.

The Secret Service interviewed her long enough to establish that she did not pose a viable threat and had no intentions of carrying out her threat.

The Secret Service officers informed the girl that her actions could have resulted in her being charged with a crime and sent to a juvenile detention facility. This was not a threat. It was a statement of fact. The officers just decided that since she did not actually intend to carry out her threat, they did not charge her.

A parent has no legal right to be present while a juvenile is being questioned. In fact, the parents have no rights at all. It's not about them, but their child. The juvenile has a right to ask to speak to the parents (not to have them present, just to speak to them briefly), but if the officers cannot make contact after a "reasonable effort" to do so, they will continue to speak with the juvenile. If the juvenile doesn't ask, the officers will not call the parents. If the juvenile asks for a lawyer, they will be provided with one during questioning. If the juvenile doesn't ask, the officers will not call one. And the officers will not read the juvenile their Miranda rights, unless the juvenile has been arrested, and is after that being interrogated. If they are just questioning the juvenile and have not arrested them, they do not have to read them their rights.

She got off lucky and should use this as a learning experience. And her parents should learn from it, too, and pay more attention to what their daughter is doing on the internet.

Answer 2

Well, that was quite simply stupid. What sort of teen doesn't know that you cannot make threats against anyone, never mind the President?

15 minutes of talking? OOOOHHH. Threatened? Nope, they were simply telling her the facts. She COULD be sent to juvie for making such statements.

Her parents should be less worried about the SS talking to her and more concerned with what their daughter is doing on myspace at such a young age. Perhaps if they were paying attention and actually RAISING their child, she would have known better or better yet, not even been on myspace in the first place.

Answer 3

Consider this...the young girl succeeds in her goal. Cheney becomes President but the excitement weakens his already weak heart and he subsequently dies...Dennis Hastert becomes President. It's not the fact that she may have been threatening Bush, it's that she was threatening the President. We have the right to free speech but as the illustration goes from someone much smarter than I; we do not have the right to yell "fire!" in a crowded theater. Threatening anyone's life where one has the means or ability to carry out that threat, or if the person threatened believes their life is in danger, is a crime. I'm thinking she's learned her lesson. I can't imagine anyone so stupid as to post this on myspace was politically or otherwise informed enough to genuinely hate the President. Quit listening to everyone else and just try, merely but sincerely try, to think for yourself.

Answer 4

It is against the law to make threats or to attempt to kill any US president just like it is against the law to do so with any American citizen.

Any threat made on any US president is to be investigated by law. It doesn't matter what the age of the person making the threat. And 14 year olds in the past have carried out the threats they have made so I can see their concern.

Now the agents should have had both her parents and attorney present that is true. However, what this girl did broke laws.

Answer 5

First, no why do people beleive parents have to be present when teens are questioned, THEY don't, I have 20 years on the street and we questioned teens everyday for everything from skate boarding to murder. They have a right to a lawyer, like everyone else, that is it.

Next yes what she did was a felony and she could have been arrested

And they did not rush lights and siren to her home, they put her on a list with 100's of others to be checked out when it came her turn.

and yes ( I heard she was 15) but there are 14 and 15 year old in jail for murder right now, and they don't know till they check it out if she is part of a group or have parents who may be planning something.

What shocks me is that her parents were upset she was questioned, not upset for what she did.

I would blame the parents for her bad attitude and bad choices of showing hate for someone she has not idea about, she learned this at home,

Answer 6

Telling her she could go to junvenile hall for what she did is not a threat. It's a statement of fact about what the consequences of her actions could be. If she's smart enough to be on the computer in the first place, she's smart enough to know you don't post a picture like that and should face some consequences otherwise, why won't she do it again?

Answer 7

It has been our experience here in the US that 14 year olds are perfectly capable of carrying out threats that they make. She should never have put the Kill part in. She made a foolish and childish mistake but yes she should have been talked to BUT her parents should have been there with her as ultimately they are responsible for what she does.

Answer 8

I agree with the foolish mistake thing. She shouldn't have went so far as to say "kill" and such. That was overboard and far too often we carry out immature things without thinking about the consequences.

Answer 9

I find this absolute hypocrisy. When I think of 911, Katrina, and all the people that have died because of politcal power and the corruption that takes place on a daily basis by politicians in every country of the world, it makes me think this is a scare tactic so society will live in fear of expressing opinions, thus taking away more freedoms. The conspiracy theorists are going to have a story all of their own about this incident.

Answer 10

I guess people need to be responsible for threats against others.
There is no legal requirement parents be notified.
Time for people to realize a threat is a threat.