Three Stoddard County teens accused of assaulting schoolmate, posting video on YouTube

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Three Dexter, Mo., high school students were to appear in juvenile court this morning on charges they videotaped the assault of another student and then posted the videos on YouTube.

All three were to appear for detention hearings before Juvenile Judge Joe Satterfield, who was to reportedly decide whether the teens remain in custody or are released pending further proceedings.

Petitions filed in Stoddard County Juvenile Court allege second and third-degree assault, as well as criminal responsibility, against all three juveniles, according to a news release from Dexter Police Detective Trevor Pulley.

The allegations state that on Feb. 11 and March 5, "the victim was bound by duct tape, punched and kicked several times, burned, urinated on and had clothing that had been urinated on rubbed on his face while being videotaped," Pulley explained.

Statutorily, the teens, including the one allegedly acting as videotaper, committed the suspected assaults in concert with one another, according to juvenile authorities.

The criminal responsibility offense, charged under Section 562.041 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, says a person is criminally responsible for the conduct of another when "either before or during the commission of an offense with the purpose of promoting the commission of the offense, he aids or agrees to aid or attempts to aid such other person in planning, committing or attempting to commit the offense."

Juvenile authorities report the video was posted on YouTube Monday and may have been inspired by the MTV series and recent movie, "Jackass."

"The alleged assaults were videotaped and were viewed on the Internet and reported to authorities" on Tuesday when a Dexter Public School administrator contacted the Stoddard County Juvenile Office, Pulley said. An investigation subsequently was initiated by the police department.

The alleged assaults did not take place on school property, but juvenile authorities report they are believed to have occurred at a Dexter residence.

The suspects, who juvenile authorities describe as being high-school age boys, have been held in the Stoddard County Regional Detention Center in Bloomfield since they were arrested Tuesday.

Juvenile authorities described the alleged victim, who had his arms, legs and mouth bound, as also being a high-school age boy.

The teen suffered burns after "they lit plastic, grass trimmer line on fire and let it drip onto the palm and top of a hand," the juvenile official said.

The teen, he said, suffered minor to moderate injuries and sought medical treatment after the "recent incident."

Pulley, as well as Dexter Detective Cory Mills and juveniles officers, are continuing their investigation into the alleged assaults at this time.

The detectives, according to juvenile authorities, are downloading the suspected videos off the Internet and analyzing them.