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cubby

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http://www.columbiatribune.com/news...cle_6b4ec3e4-94e8-5696-b854-9ff48cf768f1.html

A Howard County coroner’s jury ruled Tuesday that a 17-year-old’s December suicide was caused by involuntary manslaughter, the result of harassment he suffered at work and at school, placing principal blame on the teen’s former manager at Dairy Queen in Fayette.

The verdict was announced after a daylong coroner’s inquest in which witnesses described widespread bullying at the Glasgow School District and said administrators were reluctant to address the problem. After the verdict was read, a Howard County sheriff’s deputy left the courtroom to arrest Harley Branham, one of Kenneth Suttner’s managers when he worked at Dairy Queen, on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter.
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Special prosecutor April Wilson said Branham will be placed on a 24-hour hold. Wilson said she plans to meet with the judge who appointed her, Mason Gebhardt, to see whether she will continue to work on the case, and if so, she will make a decision on what charges to file. Wilson, a private attorney based in Memphis, Mo., and a former assistant prosecutor in Boone County, was put on the case after Howard County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Murrell recused himself.

A Glasgow High School junior, Suttner shot himself in the head in the early morning of Dec. 21 outside his family’s home in Howard County. Many people who testified at the inquest said he had been bullied for years.

The six-person jury, five men and a woman, deliberated for about an hour before coming to a decision. Coroner inquests are public hearings in which the jury, chosen beforehand, hears testimony and reviews evidence before making a recommendation to the prosecutor on what it believes to be the underlying cause of death and whether criminal charges should be filed.

The jury also found that Dairy Queen was negligent in training its employees and that the Glasgow School District was negligent in failing to prevent bullying. Shortly after the verdict was read, Wilson read a brief statement from the family to reporters in which the family said they hope the district finally will recognize the pervasive problem of bullying and address it.

“They really feel that was Kenny’s voice today, and they feel like it’s justice for Kenny,” Wilson said.

At Suttner’s job, Branham repeatedly ridiculed him and made him do tasks she didn’t have others do, including cleaning the floor by hand while lying on his stomach, former co-workers said. She once threw a cheeseburger at Suttner because he made it incorrectly, Allison Bennett, a former co-worker, said.

Branham testified briefly, denying she had ever bullied Suttner or made him do anything meant to demean or embarrass him. Any insults she said to Suttner were done in jest, she said, and he took it in stride.

“There’s a lot of people at Dairy Queen saying I was the reason” he killed himself, Branham said, “but I don’t understand why it would be that way.”

Lexie Graves, who said Suttner was her best friend, testified she had seen students pick on Suttner in virtually every area of the school building.

“A lot of people, kids, made fun of the way — basically everything about him,” Graves said, including his weight, a speech impediment, the way he walked and how he acted.

She only reported the bullying once, Graves said, because usually nothing would happen when it was reported. Her mother, Chanda Graves, said her son also had experienced bullying at the school, at least once by a teacher who also had ridiculed Suttner. Meeting with administrators did not help, Chanda Graves said.

Glasgow School District Superintendent Mike Reynolds also took the stand, admitting that bullying happens in the district, but he said it is not a systemic problem.

Howard County Coroner Frank Flaspohler said this was the fifth time he had called an inquest in the 24 years he has served as coroner. He said he decided to do an inquest because bullying is a public safety problem.

“If we don’t take care of bullying, we’re going to have more of these,” he said.
 
I think charging someone for involuntary manslaughter due to bullying is outrageous. Now I don't know the extent of his bullying, but it seems outrageous. I did read that he had apparently been bullied for years. If so, did he work at Dairy Queen all of that time? I don't see how you pin his suicide on one person if he was bullied by many as is the case in general. Humans are disgusting. Pick on the weak. If kids see one person bully or make fun of someone, then they will make fun of that same person, as if their life isn't bad enough. Everyone begins to pile on.

It's tragic, but I'd really like to know the extent that this manager at work bullied him to have been solely charged for what sounds like a life time of torment from everyone.

Humans are so awful. Especially kids and teenagers. It's sad.

ETA: Just read some of the things that his manager did to him at work. It's pretty brutal, definitely pisses me off, especially knowing that he wound up killing himself. That said, I think involuntary manslaughter is a huge leap. Charge her for some of the incidents, one was definitely assault with a cheeseburger. Involuntary manslaughter just seems like a lot of blame to place on one person when it was a combination of our entire shitty society that probably pushed him to it, as opposed to just one person. If other people showed him kindness and defended him, no way that one person that isn't even related to him, could have pushed him to commit suicide.
 
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I didn't see how they could charge just one person. Either charge everyone that ever bullied him or leave it. I think this manager needs to be fired, that's not managing people that's just being an asshole cause you can be.
 
Any insults she said to Suttner were done in jest, she said, and he took it in stride.

Pretty sure if you asked my former abuser he would say the same thing. In fact he said it to my face many times, that insulting me was just a joke and I shouldn't be so sensitive, so I learned to pretend it didn't affect me and even laugh right along with him because if I didn't it would be even worse for me.

Bitch.
 
I think this is good and bad ... On one hand a young man is dead, at least one of his tormentors doesn't know what the problem is. The problem is your jokes at his expense became intolerable and he finally ate a bullet. I disagree with the principal that the problem isn't systematic.
Whatever systems being used are ineffective ...instances like this are increasing. Perhaps charges is what is necessary ... perhaps the criminal justice SYSTEM is a tool that will be more effective. Its not okay for an adult to mentally or emotional torment a child or anyone ... its not okay when kids do it either. It should be a crime same way its a crime for a adults.
 
I have a Facebook friend whos daughter is not even 12 and she has had to learn karate to protect herself from bullies.
The latest incident she not only called the teacher and principal to set up a face to face meeting with the other parent she also showed up unexpectedly to shadow the class to show her kid had a mama who gave a damn about her well being.
This leave it too the school BS has got to end. As parents it is our jobs to be the first line of defense for our children.
No one will love them more or treat them better God willingly.
Parents of bullies need to be held accountable for their horrid seed no different than anyone else.
Jails are already overcrowded enough without adding to the problem.
 
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"A former rural Missouri Dairy Queen manager accused of bullying a 17-year-old employee who eventually killed himself pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge and won't go to prison.

Harley Branham, 23, of Fayette, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and was sentenced to two years of supervised probation and 30 days of house arrest."

 
I don't see this slop queef learning her lesson over this. She's a low self-esteem lard ass who takes her frustrations at not being able to find a steady lay out on people she feels 'superior' to. From the description of her actions leading up to the suicide, it sounds like she treated her 'job' at the DQ like it was her own personal fiefdom and thought the 'Rule With An Iron Fist - Khmer Rouge Edition' was par for the course.

Sadly, neither Ken or his co-workers had the guts to take a stand and tell this cunt to fuck off.

In making my case -

The ham-beast herself -
20324
20326

Harley 'My Arms Are Larger Than My Neck (and they're not muscle)' Branham

The main focus of her frustrations -

20325

Kenneth Suttner

My secret joy in this case is that she'll have a hard time in hell finding any kind of employment that pays a decent wage. No way in hell I'd hire her for anything that calls for her to interact with other employees much less customers.

Have fun with your new google trophy H.B.
 
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I have a Facebook friend whos daughter is not even 12 and she has had to learn karate to protect herself from bullies.
The latest incident she not only called the teacher and principal to set up a face to face meeting with the other parent she also showed up unexpectedly to shadow the class to show her kid had a mama who gave a damn about her well being.
This leave it too the school BS has got to end. As parents it is our jobs to be the first line of defense for our children.
No one will love them more or treat them better God willingly.
Parents of bullies need to be held accountable for their horrid seed no different than anyone else.
Jails are already overcrowded enough without adding to the problem.
You see the woman go up to her kids school and told them if they go sisters and aunts they can post up
 
Gotta love a thread about bullying has people posting jokes and insults about the scumbags personal appearance, cuz that has relevance to the disgusting actions. Bullying is bad....now let's make fun of people for being fat!!!!

Dipshits.

Anyways, im surprised and annoyed there is no news of a lawsuit yet. This family should have a very easy payday coming by suing Dairy QUeen. Even without the suicide they would have enough for a major payout given the hostile work environment and abuse the DQ management inflicted on employers.
 
I don't see this slop queef learning her lesson over this. She's a low self-esteem lard ass who takes her frustrations at not being able to find a steady lay out on people she feels 'superior' to. From the description of her actions leading up to the suicide, it sounds like she treated her 'job' at the DQ like it was her own personal fiefdom and thought the 'Rule With An Iron Fist - Khmer Rouge Edition' was par for the course.

Sadly, neither Ken or his co-workers had the guts to take a stand and tell this cunt to fuck off.

In making my case -

The ham-beast herself -
View attachment 20324 View attachment 20326
Harley 'My Arms Are Larger Than My Neck (and they're not muscle)' Branham

The main focus of her frustrations -

View attachment 20325
Kenneth Suttner

My secret joy in this case is that she'll have a hard time in hell finding any kind of employment that pays a decent wage. No way in hell I'd hire her for anything that calls for her to interact with other employees much less customers.

Have fun with your new google trophy H.B.
That bitch has no right to talk about or make fun of anyone.
 
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