Dad Accused of Using Stun Gun on Daughter's Friend Over Naked Photo
TEMECULA, Calif. -- An angry father is accused of using a stun gun on a 23 year old man who sent his 17 year old daughter an explicit cell phone picture.Okay. I'm sorry. I have to admit that the above paragraph made me laugh so hard I think I pulled a muscle in my giggle box. I know it's wrong. I know it's unlawful imprisonment, assault, battery, yadda yadda yadda. But you know what? It's still pretty damn funny.
William Atwood Sr., 45, was charged Wednesday with multiple felonies in connection with the case.
Authorities say Atwood lured Justin Moore to his home, ordered him to strip down to his boxer shorts, and tied him up and tased him with a stun gun before turning him over to a sheriff's deputy.
I don't know if I necessarily agree with Mr. Atwood's actions from a pragmatic (there's that damn word again) standpoint - legally, he's in a world of shit, from facing felony charges for a laundry list of actions taken against Mr. Moore. He'd have been a LOT better off bringing the pictures directly to the authorities and absolutely destroying Moore's life - a 23 year old man sending sexually explicit photos of himself to a minor is FUCKED. That's sex offender status right there, folks. Atwood could quite literally have ruined Moore's life.
I think that's the direction I would have taken.
Sure, the sheer visceral thrill of lighting Moore up like a Christmas tree has a raw emotional appeal. Moore sexually assaulted Atwood's minor female child - nothing arouses the paternal KILL CODE like some alleged adult coming on to one's female teenage offspring. "HULK SMASH" and all that comes to mind. Holding the bayonet attached to the 590 several millimeters from the offender's junk would fleetingly cross my mind - but I would never take the law into my hands in such a situation.
No, this calls for calm, cool, legal methods of retaliation. Something tells me an even halfway competent District Attorney wishing to make a name for him- or herself around election time would salivate with glee at the thought of bringing the entire justice system down on the head of such a pervert who would take explicit pictures of himself and then send them to a minor. At the very least, Moore is stupid to the point of being a danger to himself and others around him - pulling a stunt like he did shows that he doesn't have the common sense that God gave gravel.
And then he went to the man's HOUSE? HELLO?
But no. I can't condone what Atwood did given the current legal climate of the state in which this occurred and the general view given to those that take the law into their own hand. In a perfect world, Atwood would be applauded and compensated for his electrical bill by a grateful general public; however we do not live in a perfect world. Even worse, he allowed Moore to escape prosecution for his crime; by assaulting and otherwise harming Moore he turned him from predator into victim, and made it far more likely that Moore will remain free to assault - and who knows what else - other victims.
In other, related news, I just hope there's video of the encounter...
That is all.
6 comments:
Huh?
“An angry father is accused of using a stun gun on a 23 year old man who sent his 17 year old daughter an explicit cell phone picture.”
“Moore told authorities he sent a photo of his genitals to several friends, including Atwood's daughter, as a joke.”
“Deputies found Moore at Atwood's home naked, tied up and extremely frightened.”
“Prosecutors declined to charge Moore in connection with the photo for lack of evidence.”
Lack of evidence?
Moore admits taking and sending the photo, and Atwood presents the naked Moore to police.
Was the photo somehow lost or destroyed before the authorities arrived?
I'm not sure that a 17 year old counts as a "minor" that way. Probably considered over the age of consent in a lot of places (note: not my household, but you know what I mean).
IOW, it might be that the local constabulary couldn't (or wouldn't) do anything. In which case, a proper thrashing from the outraged father is the only proper response.
The father should push for a full jury trial, and basically get the jury to refuse to convict. May be his best shot, anyway.
I am once again reminded why I am lucky to have sons instead of daughters.
Didn't LawDog recently relate a story about a taint tasering on VC? Seems to me that that would have been the appropriate place to conduct this little bit of payback.
Kbergiu,
It could well be that Moore's admission is inadmissable in the eyes of the prosecutors.
I mean, a deliberate tasing of the goodies IS normally considered a form of torture, and I can see how his statements might be considered coerced, even though the authorities aren't the ones who did it.
That's why I throw shit at teh TV when watching a movie where the "Good Guy" hauls teh "Bad Guy" in under the gun and forces him to confess to teh police with a gun screwed in his ear. "GREAT GOING, genius! You just ENSURED that the traitor/bank robber/kidnapper/kid carver/etc. is gonna walk free!"
"A Time to Kill", Grisham's book, is the full version.
Anyone allowing this type of behavior by an adult male, meaning he of the naked photos, is only encouraging worsening of that behavior. Think Joran Van Der Sloot doesn't come to mind when a dad sees this kind of crap?
As a father of 2 girls, I make it very clear what will happen if they are mistreated.
OR...as Bill Engvall says, "I ain't afraid to go back to prison!"
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