Teh One Who Knocks
11-09-2011, 10:19 PM
By CAROL CHRISTIAN, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
http://i.imgur.com/2iMDd.jpg
A Baytown father who told authorities he was tired of his son being picked on has been charged with encouraging the boy to fight a fellow student at a school bus stop.
Jorge A. Paredes, 30, was charged Monday with injury to a child after he allegedly urged his son to fight with a 13-year-old boy. Paredes was charged as a party to the offense, according to Donna Hawkins, a spokeswoman for the Harris County District Attorney's office. Paredes' juvenile son was charged with the same offense, Hawkins said.
Paredes initially told Baytown police he had gone to the bus stop in the 4700 block of Ripple Creek Drive with his son to talk to the other boy, a student at Gentry Junior School, according to the complaint.
He said the two boys started fighting, but he stopped them. After he was shown a video of the incident, however, he changed his version of the events.
The 13-year-old told police that a black truck pulled up to the bus stop about 8:15 a.m. and Paredes and his son got out, according to the complaint. He said the younger Paredes pushed and struck him, knocking him down. Then the younger boy got on top of him and hit him in the face several times.
The teen told investigators that Paredes was encouraging his son to punch and choke him during the attack.
The mother of another child at the bus stop yelled that the children should stop fighting, but Paredes told her to be quiet, the complaint states. The 13-year-old told investigators that Paredes told the woman the teenager deserved it because he had been picking on Paredes' son on the bus.
Paredes admitted he had done wrong, but said he was tired of his son being a target, according to the complaint.
Fined, jailed 2 years ago
According to court records, Paredes pleaded guilty two years ago to head-butting his wife. He was fined $1,500 and sentenced to two days in jail.
Paredes was not in custody Tuesday, according to online records. Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
Martin Cominsky, the Houston-based regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said Tuesday the ADL never advocates taking violent action as a response to bullying.
"Certainly we believe there are more peaceful approaches to resolving problems," Cominsky said. "Get school officials or law enforcement involved. We never recommend that people take things into their own hands."
The organization's website, www.adl.org/combatbullying, suggests ways people can help prevent bullying, which the league says affects as many as one-third of young people.
"We have a lot of programs that teach parents, students and teachers how to respond," Cominsky said.
In a statement Tuesday, Goose Creek school district officials in Baytown said the district began an investigation Oct. 31 into "bus altercations" involving two students at Gentry. The statement didn't specify that the two students were the same ones involved in Friday's incident.
"When the investigation is complete, any necessary disciplinary action will be handled in conjunction with the district's discipline management plan," the statement said.
http://i.imgur.com/2iMDd.jpg
A Baytown father who told authorities he was tired of his son being picked on has been charged with encouraging the boy to fight a fellow student at a school bus stop.
Jorge A. Paredes, 30, was charged Monday with injury to a child after he allegedly urged his son to fight with a 13-year-old boy. Paredes was charged as a party to the offense, according to Donna Hawkins, a spokeswoman for the Harris County District Attorney's office. Paredes' juvenile son was charged with the same offense, Hawkins said.
Paredes initially told Baytown police he had gone to the bus stop in the 4700 block of Ripple Creek Drive with his son to talk to the other boy, a student at Gentry Junior School, according to the complaint.
He said the two boys started fighting, but he stopped them. After he was shown a video of the incident, however, he changed his version of the events.
The 13-year-old told police that a black truck pulled up to the bus stop about 8:15 a.m. and Paredes and his son got out, according to the complaint. He said the younger Paredes pushed and struck him, knocking him down. Then the younger boy got on top of him and hit him in the face several times.
The teen told investigators that Paredes was encouraging his son to punch and choke him during the attack.
The mother of another child at the bus stop yelled that the children should stop fighting, but Paredes told her to be quiet, the complaint states. The 13-year-old told investigators that Paredes told the woman the teenager deserved it because he had been picking on Paredes' son on the bus.
Paredes admitted he had done wrong, but said he was tired of his son being a target, according to the complaint.
Fined, jailed 2 years ago
According to court records, Paredes pleaded guilty two years ago to head-butting his wife. He was fined $1,500 and sentenced to two days in jail.
Paredes was not in custody Tuesday, according to online records. Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
Martin Cominsky, the Houston-based regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said Tuesday the ADL never advocates taking violent action as a response to bullying.
"Certainly we believe there are more peaceful approaches to resolving problems," Cominsky said. "Get school officials or law enforcement involved. We never recommend that people take things into their own hands."
The organization's website, www.adl.org/combatbullying, suggests ways people can help prevent bullying, which the league says affects as many as one-third of young people.
"We have a lot of programs that teach parents, students and teachers how to respond," Cominsky said.
In a statement Tuesday, Goose Creek school district officials in Baytown said the district began an investigation Oct. 31 into "bus altercations" involving two students at Gentry. The statement didn't specify that the two students were the same ones involved in Friday's incident.
"When the investigation is complete, any necessary disciplinary action will be handled in conjunction with the district's discipline management plan," the statement said.