Boys Slapped With Felonies in Bus Fight

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - The mother of two boys whose fight with a substitute school bus driver was captured on videotape has questioned why the boys are charged with a felony while the driver faces a less serious charge.

Mark Ernest Dickinson, 15, and his stepbrother, Corey Gene Hendershot, 13, were arrested last week and charged with assault on a school official, a felony punishable by up to five years in a juvenile justice facility, said Russell Kirshy, the family's attorney.

According to Charlotte County sheriff's reports, the fight happened Tuesday when Taylor tried to put a seat belt on Hendershot, who refused to wear it. He then told Hendershot to sit up front, but the boy refused.

When Taylor walked to the back of the bus, Dickinson got in his way and cursed at him. Taylor then slapped Dickinson and grabbed his throat, the video shows. Dickinson is seen pushing and punching the 66-year-old bus driver.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/school_bus_fight

From what I read in the story, the driver was waaaaaay out of line. Hard to know for sure, though, without seeing it for myself.

The article said it has been aired on national TV. Maybe I should start watching the news again?

Nah, hopefully someone will post it here.

The boys deserved dentention. Big brother was defending little brother. Bus driver was out of control -- and started the fight.

cursed at the driver and the driver slapped him. Was there sound on the video?

after the little brother, big brother started cursing, and guy grabed big brother -- at least that's waht I remember.

A fight broke out in the back of the bus. The driver stopped the bus, went to the back and a kid hit him. The driver grabbed the kid and sat him back down. The kid's brother then attacked the driver. I didn't see anything about a seatbelt.

The driver shouldn't have grabbed the kid. Because if he hadn't touched him, the kid would still be charged with a felony. (In Florida, it is a felony for a kid to hit school employees) But I challenge anyone not to strike back when hit. I know it would be hard for me not to grab that kid and put him back in his seat.

locked up. He had his hands around the kid's neck. People like that should not even be driving people's children. I was proud of big brother for defending the little one.

calling the police for help. The driver went ape shit on the kid, but much of the fighting was blocked. It could be that the felony charges stem from whatever caused the driver to call the police in the first place.

The driver was screaming at the kid and tugged on his shirt and trying to drag him up front.

The driver was out of line. The second kid should have stayed out of it though.

He was defending his sibling from a crazy man. I think he acted quite appropriately.

How is the bus driver not 100% at fault? The driver made it physical. He should be thrown away for beating these kids.

you wouldnt do anything about it?

IMO it was self defense. Someone invading your personal space, calling you a motherfucker definately needs to be dealt with.

i personally dont think so

would.

Someone intentionally and provactively invading your personal space should be dealt with.

If he can't deal with a kid displaying a little attitude, and feels the need to physically assault a young teenager to retaliate for a verbal comment, he should be nowhere around kids.

Is it inconceivable that a grown man who would attack a young boy perhaps did something else that gave the kids reason to refer to him as a motherfucker? I don't think this guy turned into a psycho in the time between the comment and the assault.

Off topic, this debate brings back a memory of the HBO series Deadwood, from a scene involving a similar minor insult brought to violence. A mob is dragging a black man named Fields through town to get the attention of the Sheriff, but it becomes personal when, after being hit with boiling tar, Fields refers to the leader of the mob as a motherfucker.

Sheriff Bullock: "Disperse this riotous assembly!"

Lynch mob leader: "Did you hear this monkey just mother fucked me?!"

Sheriff Bullock, drawing his gun on the other man: "I'll mother fuck you, AND I'll blow your head off."

but the kid did hit the bus driver first. And the driver was a sub. So he probably has had no training in managing kids.

But your point that he is an adult is a good one. He should have kept his hands off that kid. Period.

the driver got way out of line with his actions. You need to call the dispatcher for guidance in this. The dispatcher will make the call. You might even have the police come out to the bus. If belts are required on the bus, then the driver can't proceed without the children buckled up. The kids would be hindering the safe passage of a school bus. The police could be called in for this. But strangling a kid is really not the way to go.

To be blunt, the bus driver is supposedly an adult and appeared to lose control of his temper and himself. There was no excuse to start hitting them the way he did. If it was me, the bus driver would also be facing felony charges, due primarily to his adult status, size and strength.

"Florida began requiring all new school buses to have seat belts in 1999, but wearing them is not a requirement.

If wearing the belts is not a requirement, the driver had no business trying to force the kid to wear it.

If wearing the belts had been a requirement, the driver should have called for assistance to either get the kid to comply or put him off the bus and notify school authorities.

No physical altercation was ever called for.

was thinking. He probably shouldn't be driving kids period. The driver should have never even left his seat.

doesn't mean the district doesn't.

n/t

but I am saying the driver didn't make up a requirement that didn't exist.

There's nothing in the article that gives a clue about the school district's rules, so that's pure speculation.

I'm not saying the kids were little angels who couldn't use some discipline, either, but the bottom line is that the driver -- the supposed adult in this situation -- handled it very poorly.

As I said in my initial post, "If wearing the belts had been a requirement, the driver should have called for assistance to either get the kid to comply or put him off the bus and notify school authorities. No physical altercation was ever called for.

The kids deserve detention or a short suspension and a lecture on safety rules or something -- but the driver is the one who deserves a felony charge for assault.

and they probably discipline the drivers when the kids don't wear their seatbelts.

yes I said a santorum, that is slap the bus driver with a face full of shit.

The BD should not have put his hands on that boy or his hands around that boys neck.

Maybe the bus driver had had one ride too many, with busloads of sweet children and wanted some excitement--sarcasm.

The only time you get physical with a student is to prevent imminent danger or to protect yourself. Therefore, the bus driver was wrong to move to physical contact. Nevertheless, the kid should just put on the fucking seatbelt. How much brains does it take? OK, you on a school bus, the authority figure (as it were) gives a reasonable command, so just put the damn thing on. I don't know how you get to a felony for the kids (link didn't work) but I do know adolescent bull shit when I see it. Adults who can't control their temper should not be around kids. Kids who are so stupid that they can't even cooperate at this level need to go to private school. Enough already.

is that they force the kids to stay seated. That alone would solve lots of discipline problems on buses, just keeping them in their seats.

they definately were the problem and IMO that one kid got what he deserved.

IMO that there should have been punishment enough.

They were acting like stupid white trash, who the fuck raises these kids.

If some stupid punk got all up in my face and called me a motherfucker I definately would defend myself.

a bus driver then. And WHY DOES THIS KIND OF THING ALWAYS HAPPEN IN FLORIDA?????

I'm not impressed.

When you can use deadly force if you feel threatened? Of course, I'm in Texas, so we'll probably be next. Adults should act like adults. We don't let kids marry, or drink, or drive, or sign legally binding contracts until they have reached a certain age, because they are not deemed to be mature enough.

That's why in situations like this, the kids might be as big as adults, but their brains aren't fully developed yet, so the adults have to show more responsibility.

Kids who hit school employees are charged with felonies. So if they don't want felony convictions, they should not hit bus drivers.

w/child abuse (hopefully, felonies)? If the bus driver doesn't want to be charged w/the same, he shouldn't choke & abuse kids!

I saw the video too, the older brother did NOT strike at the driver until he had been hit & roughed up. The driver had absolutely no business striking or choking any kid on that bus, I don't care what was said to him before he attacked. The man had already called in for police aid (according to the reports) & neither boy laid a hand on him until HE began attacking. He got up from his seat & traveled almost the full length of the bus to put hands on those boys - there is no excuse for an adult in charge of kids to lose control of himself because a kid popped off, cursed, or disobeyed. There are better ways to handle that. If your kid is deemed to be cursing, mouthing off, whatever - do you give anyone else the right to choke them?

Again, the boy didn't raise a hand to the driver till he was attacked by him - I call that self defense.

I can't believe people are actually saying these kids deserved to be pummeled & choked because they cussed the man out! I thought only women that are raped or beaten got the old "Well, she asked for it!" bullshit!

If an adult is bearing down like that man was on his little brother, I would EXPECT nothing less than to hear a few expletives! They wouldn't be nearly as bad as mine were when I saw the damned tape!

And when I saw this thread!

but maybe we saw a different video because I saw the kid hit the driver first. He came at him from behind. So I have no problems with that kid being charged.

I do agree that the driver should be charged with child abuse. Adults just can't hit kids, even if the kid hits them first.

was charging toward the younger brother. He was hollering at the driver, but didn't hit or 'come' at him. The driver whirled, DIDN'T JUST grab him, but rather swung at the boy - hitting him on the side of his head, knocking him to the bus seat. The driver then proceeded to lay into him, choking & wrestling him about the bus. AFTER that, the older brother starting hitting back. The adult started the physical altercation, the kid was defending himself against an older, heavier, enraged & out-of-control male intent on inflicting injury. There is no justification for any of that. The kid's punishments should be commensurate w/mouthing off &/or disobeying a driver, not for striking a man clearly intent on causing them physical harm. That's self defense, not a felony offense.

I've seen studies showing that witness' see different things, I suppose this is the case w/us. I've looked at that tape in freeze frame mode (so far, it's the only one released by the police dept - @ 40-45 seconds) to see if I was letting knee-jerk emotional 'mom' responses color it. Still see the driver attacking first & strongest - so I'll stand by my original reaction. The driver is a child abuser. Of the worst kind, an abuser in a position of authority. A position of authority that gets the benefit of doubt over the abused.

Mouthiness, cursing or disobedience is no justification for anyone in a position of authority to hit or choke a kid - yours, mine, or anyone else's. Other people can see that differently, that's their prerogative. But I'd still jump in to defend their kids if I saw this happening to them. Kick 'em off the bus, suspend 'em, whatever - but you just can't beat 'em up. If this man had been their father, doing this in public, he would have been in jail w/charges - instead of temporarily suspended w/pay during an 'investigation'. Instead the kids are under house arrest w/charges (I saw the younger was released from the house arrest part, though).

Be interesting to see how this plays out, school districts have been known to protect their own - to cover their ass. I know some don't, some teachers are hung out to dry - but, I have seen kids thoroughly squashed to protect the districts as well. Kids that can find it impossible to recover from the betrayal. It seems sometimes that the good teachers have no protection, while the people that should be drummed out get all the 'love'. This guy belongs to latter, he shouldn't be anywhere near kids if he can't control himself.

I guess we'll see, when they release the rest of the tape.

since you saw it more than I did. To me it looked like the kid attacked the driver first.

BTW- I saw your post @ the former student, I'm really sorry to see that happened. Like I said before, sometimes it just seems all the good teachers don't get the 'love' - please be aware that I do recognize a good one when I see 'em. It takes someone special to go that extra mile like you did. :hug:

Thanks for the kind words. I am still just reeling this morning. But I an still determined to give these kids my best. They deserve it.

Equal blame to go all around in this case.

The bus driver, obvsiously went a bit over the line by initiating the physical violence (all though, did the boys threaten him?, Ive seen video but not audio).

The little brat could use a bar of soap in the mouth, cursing at adults, maybe the parents should reconsider their parenting skills.

And the other kid, 'coming to the defense' escalating the violence, punishment for that too.

It was my experience in 6,7,8 th grade that middle school kids are some of the most vicious, uncivilized and violent kids you'll ever meet, just because they are smaller and younger does not mean they cannot do damage. I would go insane having to drive them around all day.

so were the kids.

And how times have changed. When I was a kid (in the 60s) if you acted up on the bus, the driver stopped and let you off. You got to walk the rest of the way home.

My sister got in trouble on the bus and they kicked off our entire family - for the rest of the school year. My dad pleaded with the principal to let us back on, but she stood firm. We had to walk to school. (And we have never let our sister forget this :) )

In my neighborhood there is a mom who says stuff like this to her children, 3, 5 12. "You dirty little bitch. Get the fuck out of my way." Then another neighbor I overheard say to her 13ish girl. "Stay the fuck away from my dog." All in the tone of such terrible hatred and anger.

Kid's coming out of these kinds of homes don't have much chance.

on Scaborough country and some guy was on the show and called the one boy a "slope-head"...and the other kid an "alter boy"...totally bashing these two kids...I agree that what they did was wrong...but the bus driver should have controlled himself a bit better...like calling the police and waiting for them to show up...

that's just my opinion though...

bus before. If districts would kick their asses off, then they would learn to do what they are supposed to do on a bus: Sit and behave. a bus is a privilege, not a right. No one will make rules and enforce them on kids and this happens a lot. The guy is in trouble for what he did. The boys deserve the pay a price for what they did. Its a trust bond, driving and riding on a bus. They all broke it.

Those kids deserve and need serious penalties for fucking around on a bus. If they don't, then they will do more. After about 30 years in teaching, I can tell you, if you don't do what you say, then god help us all.

that school administrators are afraid to punish kids these days.

and become rich when their kids land on the news for acting like fools. No doubt in my mind that these parents will try to sue the school district and/or the bus driver.