Current Events > Jury finds Hillsborough sheriff's officials are to blame in boy's death.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Justice has been served here, thank God.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsborough/2022/09/22/jury-weighs-if-hillsborough-sheriffs-officials-are-blame-boys-death/

The case centered on what occurred in and around the state fairgrounds on the night of Feb. 7, 2014. It was Student Day at the fair, a tradition in which local schoolchildren are given free admission.

Andrew Joseph attended with several other children, who were dropped off by a friends mother at the main entrance gate.

Soon after they arrived, there was what deputies described as a disturbance on the midway.

In court, a former deputy used the term wilding to describe groups of kids gathering together in large groups before making a mad dash, knocking over patrons and stealing from vendors.

Sheriffs deputies detained numerous young people.

Andrew Joseph saw deputies escorting two of his friends and began to run after them, according to witnesses. One boy dropped a hat and Joseph picked it up and tried to hand it to him.

It was then that Andrew Joseph was detained.

An ejection form filled out by deputies gave the only details: running through the mid-way causing disorderly conduct.

Lawyers for Andrew Joseph Jr. and Deanna Joseph argued that his detention was unconstitutional.

He was taken to a processing area, where he was held for about 40 minutes. He and the others whod been detained were then driven to the edge of the fairgrounds, near Orient Road, and released.

Corey Thornton, who was 12 years old at the time, was the last person with Andrew Joseph that night. Now 21, he testified that they struggled to find their way back to the main gate, where they hoped to meet their ride home.

Thornton said an unidentified deputy near Gate 4, from which theyd been ejected, refused to let them walk back through the fair, threatened to arrest them and told them that the only thing separating them from the main gate was the interstate.

They walked back to Orient Road, then went north and through the Hard Rock Casino before they ended up trying to cross the busy highway to reach the fairgrounds.

They made it across, but then Andrew Joseph said they needed to go back. As he dashed back toward the casino, the teen was struck and killed.

They were 12 year old kids.. police refusing to do any work after processing is .. ugh... "to protect and serve" only in custody per the court ruling

Fucking bullshit police response that got a kid killed. But I can't call this justice, a boy was still killed and another was traumatized.

That is completely unconscionable that the police would simply drop a bunch of minors off outside the event and not attempt to contact any of their parents