Probation, suspended jail term in anti-gay flier case
A Crystal Lake teen charged criminally for distributing anti-gay fliers at her high school was sentenced Wednesday to two weeks in jail, but won't have to do the time if she stays out of trouble for the next year.
The 17-year-old girl also must serve one year probation, submit to random drug tests, perform 40 hours of community service and write a letter of apology to a classmate targeted in the fliers, under the sentence handed down by a McHenry County judge.
The girl, a student at Crystal Lake South High School, admitted guilt June 20 to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting a peace officer stemming from the May 11 incident in which she and a friend placed the derogatory handouts on cars in the school parking lot.
The fliers showed a photo of a male classmate kissing another boy, with an anti-gay message written underneath. Authorities initially charged the incident as a felony hate crime, but dropped that charge in June as part of a plea deal.
The girl apologized for the fliers Wednesday, saying it was a prank intended to get back at the classmate, a former friend, for unkind remarks he made about her.
"It was basically a joke," she said. "We took it too far. He was a very good friend and I'm sorry for what I did to him."
Judge Michael Chmiel, however, chastised the girl for making the dispute public.
"You took this private battle and you plastered it all over the parking lot," he said. "And in doing so, you impacted the public."
The judge said he also was extremely concerned that the girl ran from a police officer who approached her in the parking lot and called him a "(expletive) pig" when he arrested her.
"When you see a law enforcement officer and you see the badge, the hope is that you respect that," Chmiel said.
County prosecutors sought the year probation term but, citing her prior record, had been hoping for a longer jail sentence if she violated any of its terms. That record consists of 11 prior contacts with police, including one for her suspected involvement in a burglary and incidents of curfew violation and alcohol possession.
The girl also admitted she used marijuana frequently and alcohol two or three times a month. She and her mother said Wednesday those days are now behind her.
"This all got blown out of proportion," the girl's mother said. "She's a good kid. She's always been an honor student, but this past year everything fell apart."
The girl's friend, a 16-year-old Crystal Lake girl, pleaded guilty last week to disorderly conduct and resisting charges for her part in the incident. She is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 19.