Charges Filed Against Teens Who Humiliated Autistic Teen For ‘Sick’ ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Cuyahoga County, Ohio prosecutors have finally filed complaints today against five Bay Village students accused of dumping a mixture of urine, tobacco spit and water on a 15-year-old autistic boy from their class as part of a fake ALS Ice Bucket Challenge prank.

Cleveland, an online publication covering northeast Ohio, reports that the teens, which are between the ages of 14 and 16, all face the juvenile equivalent of disorderly conduct charges. In addition, three of the teens also face misdemeanor assault charges following the disturbing incident. All the teens involved were — and are — friends who regularly hang out and, at times, engage in “distasteful” and “sophomoric” pranks, Assistant County Prosecutor Duane Deskins, who heads the office’s Juvenile Division, said in a release.

“The victim and the five charged juveniles were and are friends and classmates. They regularly associate with one another and at times, engage in distasteful and sophomoric pranks. However, this incident is clearly different. It crossed a moral and legal line, and even the five alleged perpetrators understand that and have expressed regret.”

The parents of the autistic teen who was humiliated in the prank have agreed with the charges filed and that the teens should be charged in juvenile court. It is noted by the Bay Village police that they will ask the teens facing the more serious charges to come to the department with their parents to be booked. They will then be released to their parents until they appear in juvenile court. The other two juveniles will get a summons to appear at a court intake office.

At least one of the teens being charged in the case has said that he was not aware that the victim was diagnosed as autistic. In fact, the attorney for that teen said that all the teens were friends and had been playing pranks on one another all summer.

The First Assistant Deskins added in his official report that the charges would strike a balance between punishment and rehabilitation.

The charges recommended in this case strike a balance between punishment and rehabilitation. As the second oldest Juvenile Court system in the country, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court has a mission to ‘administer justice, rehabilitate juveniles, support and strengthen families, and promote public safety.”

According to NBC, the victim’s parents are overwhelmed with all the support they have received since the incident. They noted that it hasn’t just been their community that has stood up to support the autistic teen, but rather the whole nation. Even celebrity Drew Carey stepped in to help as police were trying to identify the teens responsible for the disgusting prank. Carey offered up a $10,000 reward for help identifying the culprits.