The justice system continues to fail us as these sort of criminals get away with serious crimes. John R. K. Howard is not getting any jail time after he assaulted his mentally disabled teammate with a coat hanger.
The injustices are far too real these days. 19-year old John R. K. Howard is getting zero jail for his grotesque actions.
Former high school football player John R. K. Howard entered a so-called “Alford plea,” meaning he maintains his innocence while admitting a judge or jury would likely find him guilty. He was sentenced to probation and community service, and his conviction might be entirely dismissed at a later date.
The Twin Falls Times-News writes that supporters of the black player see the sentencing as “a slap on the wrist for a privileged white teen who preyed on a disabled teammate from the only black family in town.”
Howard, who pleaded guilty to felony injury of a child, had originally been charged with sexual assault. But prosecutors later decided that, while they were confident they could prove Howard kicked the coat hanger into his teammate’s rectum, the act did not constitute a sex crime. District Judge Randy Stoker agreed, and approved the plea deal for a lesser charge in December.
The judge is now under fire after Howard basically got away with a slap on the wrist. The way the whole attack took place will have you outraged.
In addition to the criminal cases at the state level, the mentally disabled young man’s parents are also pursuing a federal civil case, which is still ongoing. “The truth will come out,” the family’s attorney in that case said, according to The Guardian.
The case has been explosive in the tiny town of Dietrich, Idaho, a community of about 330 people. Last May, The Washington Post described a town “torn apart” when Tim and Shelly McDaniel accused three football players of a monthslong campaign of racist bullying of their adopted son, culminating in the assault.
The couple says they reported the bullying but the school did nothing — Howard was a football star with “ties to a prominent Dietrich family,” the Post wrote, and Shelly McDaniel said she was “just shunned” when she went to administrators for help. Then, after the assault, the couple took legal action.
The Guardian has more on the specific allegation of assault, which began with an invitation for a hug:
“The young man said that one of his friends motioned for him to come over and hugged him while another player shoved a hanger into his anus. Then, the victim said, Howard kicked the hanger, which pushed it further into his rectum.
” ‘Pain that I have never felt took over my body,’ he said during the April hearing, according to the transcript obtained by the Guardian. ‘I screamed, but afterwards, I kept it to myself.’ “
Throughout this whole ordeal, the young man who will remain nameless, kept referring to these individuals as his friends. He also shared several names that he was called such as “fried chicken,” “watermelon,” “Kool-Aid” and “grape soda,” which obviously has racial connotation.
For the time being, Howard has been sentenced to probation and community service, because that’ll teach him to not assault others ever again. Thankfully, there are smart people out there. According to the Daily Mail, there is a petition going around and it’s asking for the judge on the case, Randy Stoker, to be disbarred.
If you don’t believe that white privilege is a thing, start opening your eyes and ears.