Thirteen-year-olds facing jail time and sex offender label
First, the story out of Oregon about two 13-year-old boys who ran down the hallway in school swatting girls on their butts. The were marched to the principal’s office, questioned for a few hours, handcuffed and hauled off to juvenile detention where they spent the next five days. Turns out, if they’re convicted of sexual assault at their August 20 trial, they’ll face additional jail time and be required to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives. There are far too many bizarre things in this case to repeat, so I just suggest you read this article from The Oregonian.

Patrolman sentenced to five years for defending himself
Chicago Patrolman Mike Mette was off-duty in Dubuque, Iowa, where he attended a party. At this party, he and his younger brother got into an argument with another partygoer. (This other partygoer, by the way, was 20-year-old college student Jake Gothard, who had a blood-alcohol level of .30, which would be nearly four times the legal limit in Indiana.) Gothard begins yelling at Mette, berating him for coming to the party without any women. Mette and his brother and their four friends decide to leave. Gothard follows them outside… well, here’s how the story plays out:

Gothard and his roommate began chasing Mette and the five other men, claiming they had stolen his cell phone, until they all ended up on the front lawn of Marc Mette’s house.

“Mr. Gothard approached me and told me he was going to beat the crap out of me, and he actually hit me with his two fists like this in the chest. Hit me three times. I pushed him away from me. Told him to leave. He comes back at me a fourth time and that’s when, you know, when I hit him. I hit him in the left side of the face,” said Michael Mette.

Moments later, when city police arrived on the scene, Gothard was still on the ground, having been cold cocked by Officer Mette’s right hook. When Mette and the others described what happened, Dubuque Police arrested Mette, charging him with felony assault causing serious injury.

Last week, this police officer was sentenced to five years in prison. If you can stand it, read the ABC News story.