Wisconsin High School Student Arrested For Defamation Via Photoshop; La Crosse County Criminal Justice Resources Wasted By Overzealous School Administrators

                  

Student Arrested Over Poster Police Say Defamed Administrator

A western Wisconsin high school student was arrested at school after officials accused him of altering a sexually suggestive poster about liquor to add a photo of the school's athletic director, and then posting it on a school bulletin board...

    ...In the ad, the man has a scantily clad woman with her legs wrapped around his waist as he fondles her breasts. The poster, which was posted in the school's commons area, quoted the athletic director as saying, "I love Captain Morgans," Berndt said.

(Here's the Web site with the Captain Morgan parody.) (Update: The link no longer works.  If they fix it, I will re-establish the link)

    ...Under Wisconsin law, a person can be convicted of defamation for holding up or exposing someone to "hatred, contempt, ridicule, degradation or disgrace" without the consent of the person, Berndt said.

    Such a charge is rare, though, especially at a high school, Berndt said...

    ...The teen was booked into the La Crosse County Jail on Friday on police accusations of defamation and bail jumping and was released about five hours later after posting a $1,500 cash bond, authorities said...

Some random thoughts:

If this is the standard for defamation, at least 75% of all high school students should be jailed, along with 90% of their college counterparts.

Any kid who never considered putting the face of a teacher on an animal or suggestive picture probably needs therapy.

The kid deserves high marks for creativity, concept, and clarity of thinking.

Comments

[grumbleberries]

Your link to Captain M's does not work.

[Brian LaClue]

I disagree. The student is the one wasting time. Instead of using creative skills to oppose the No Child Left Behind policies that are damaging public schools or helping to deal with excessive higher education costs or other useful endeavors to improve society and their options in it, they are focusing their behavior around an irrelevant personality issue.

We should be showing young people options to the consumer/celebrity culture not lauding them for succumbing to it.

[Sven]

I had always assumed defamation was a civil - not criminal - offense. I looked it up - it's a Class A misdemeanor (Wis. stat. 942.01).

It's defined as "anything which exposes the other to hatred, contempt, ridicule, degradation or disgrace in society or injury in the other’s business or occupation." I guess I'd better clean up my act.

[joncow]

the link works, but it is not direct.
1. Follow the link.
2. Look at the list on the left and click on "Alcohol"
3. Capt Morgan ad (as described) first ad, upper left

It just takes a little searching, like most good things.