UPDATE: DA Keith Stutes says he has reviewed the case against a mom who posted a video of a school fight on social media, and won’t be accepting the charges.
“I have now received and reviewed the official report of the Scott Police Department submitted to the Office of the District Attorney for consideration of the formal filing of charges. The charge of the Unlawful Posting of Criminal Activity for Notoriety and Publicity (the offense under La. R.S. 14:107.4), reported of Meagan Adkins-Barras, occurring on or about February 20, 2019, will not be accepted for prosecution, for the fact that the circumstances do not support the proof necessary to establish all of the elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. As such, the charge is now considered declined or refused,” Stutes wrote to KATC.
“The spirit and the letter of the offense require the person to be charged to be either a principal or accessory to the crime contained in the images obtained by an image recording device. Contrary to prior media reports, no action was considered, proposed or taken regarding the charges prior to receipt and review of the official report. Any assertions made by prior media reports that the charges would be amended or lessened were erroneous.”
UPDATE: The mother of an Acadiana High student is out of jail after her arrest on Wednesday for posting video of a school fight to social media.
32-year-old Maegan Adkins-Barras was arrested Wednesday and booked with unlawful posting of criminal activity for notoriety and publicity.
She is accused of posting the video to social media where it was shared repeatedly.
The Scott Police Department issued the following statement in a press release about the arrest:
“Parents who receive information concerning criminal activity on school campuses are urged to contact their local police department or school administration. Posting videos and photos of illegal activity on social media is against the law in the State of Louisiana. Violators of the law could be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.”
The two students involved in the fight are facing criminal charges, according to police.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A fight between two students at Acadiana High School sent one child to the hospital.
The student, who has not been identified because of his age, was checked out at the hospital and has been released, police say.
The two unidentified students were fighting at Acadiana High School when one student hit his head on a concrete bench. That student was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. A spokesman with the Lafayette Parish School System says a school administrator rode in the ambulance with the student and the parents meet them at the hospital.
The students involved in the altercation were disciplined in accordance with the Lafayette Parish School System guidelines and the School Resource Officer will determine if any citations are to be issued, school officials say.
A video of the incident has been circulating on social media; KATC has decided not to use the video because it involves minors.
Scott Police Chief Chad Leger tells us that two students are facing criminal charges; because they are juveniles he will not be releasing their names. One faces a count of disturbing the peace by fighting; the other a count of second-degree battery, the chief said.
