Almost a year after 15-year-old Siobhan McClintock was allegedly dragged behind a van at a church bootcamp for troubled youth, her named abusers are set free due to hung jury despite witness testimony, medical treatment and photos of multiple injuries.
On Friday, May 2, 2008, the Judge in the case of Charles Flowers, 47, and a bootcamp worker, Stephanie Bassitt, 21,
declared a mistrial, as the jury could not reach a decision as to where the young girl sustained her injuries.
Last summer, Siobhan was entered into
Love Demonstrated Ministries, International's 32-day Boot Camp for "at risk" youth. The program, founded in 1995:
...for teen boys through the Faith Outreach Center. The camp's aim is to "instill discipline, respect for authority, integrity, unity and morality," according to the camp's Web site. In 1997, he began to accept girls to the program.
While at the camp, Siobhan was said to have fallen behind in morning drill exercises and when she did, she was tied to a van and dragged along.
An
eye-witness account of the incident was provided during court.
Two days after the incident, the troubled teen returned home, much to the shock of her mother. The mom took pictures of the injuries to Siobhan's legs, shins, chin, stomach, back, hands and feet. Her mom also had her treated as well as removed her from the program.
Flowers and the worker were indicted on felony assault charges less than two months later. Their
trial began at the end of April.
Just a few days into the trial, the
Judge reduced the charge of felony assault to a Class A misdemeanor, stating that a rope and van were in no way considered "
Deadly Weapons".
In a hung jury decision of 9-3, in favor of a "not guilty" verdict for Flowers and an 11-1 vote in favor of a "not guilty" verdict for Bassitt, the Judge declared a mistrial in the case.
The main reason cited for their weighted decision towards not guilty was that their was no clear proof of where the evidence of the teen's injuries originated.
Although due process is every American's right, where does eye-witness account, injuries consistent with dragging and medical treatment not provide evidence? The teen was obviously troubled and many such teens placed in these types of programs are pathological liars. Moreover, there are often so many situations involving the parents that are not known to the public and these parents have a history of allowing such behaviours to occur and then in desperation, place their "troubled" children in programs like this one.
The children will do anything to escape and the parents will do anything to enable their children.
The whole case is "hung" as this young girl has probably skirted her own problems, the alleged abusers got away with it and the court system failed.
