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Maryland girl pleads ‘responsible’ for bullying

By WTOP Staff

JULIET LINDERMAN
Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — A teenage girl accused of bullying a 16-year-old autistic boy pleaded “responsible” to a pair of misdemeanor charges on Thursday after her case was transferred from adult to juvenile court.

A “responsible” plea is the juvenile equivalent of a “guilty” plea in adult court. Appearing in a county court in Leonardtown, Maryland, the 17-year-old girl entered the plea to the charges of second-degree assault and distribution of an obscene video.

The defendant was originally charged with false imprisonment, child pornography solicitation and first-degree assault stemming from abuses she and the victim’s 15-year-old girlfriend inflicted on the boy, including holding him at knifepoint, forcing him to walk on a frozen lake and attempting to force him to have sex with his family dog. If she had been convicted of those charges in adult criminal court, the teen could have faced up to 80 years in prison.

The teen will be released from juvenile detention on or before her 21st birthday.

The Associated Press does not name juvenile defendants.

According to court documents, the two teenage girls videotaped the abuses with a cellphone. In one video, the 17-year-old holds a knife to the boy’s throat, threatening and taunting him. In another, the girls tell the boy to walk out into the middle of a frozen lake to retrieve a basketball. According to the charging papers, the girls offered no help when the boy several times crashed through the ice.

The teen’s attorney, Brian Thompson, said his client never should have been charged as an adult.

“We have a choice as a society when kids go wrong,” Thompson told The Associated Press on Thursday. “We either decide we’re going to try and fix them, rehabilitate them, put them in a therapeutic environment that will treat them so hopefully they can come out at a later time and be productive members of our community, or we decide they’re incorrigible, not try and help them and punish them as adults. That would have been wrong.”

Assistant State’s Attorney John Pleisse, who prosecuted the case, did not return a telephone call for comment, nor did the 17-year-old girl’s parents.

The victim, a high-functioning autistic high school sophomore, was quoted by The Washington Post last month as saying that although the treatment he received sometimes frightened him, he wanted charges against the girls dropped.

“It really makes me upset that my parents want to see them in jail,” the boy said. “Because I really like them.” On Thursday, however, the boy’s mother was quoted by the newspaper as saying that her son is now “over” the girls.

The 17-year-old is to be sentenced next week to an inpatient juvenile residential program. The 15-year-old girl pleaded “responsible” last month to second-degree assault and displaying an obscene photograph. She was sentenced to a juvenile detention center in Maryland.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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