Parents Face Criminal Charge For Internet Prank [Archive]

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eyez0nme

03-01-2006, 03:19 AM

On their son:

Huntsville, AL - (Reuters)

A popular internet video may be funny for some, but for one small child, it's a lifetime of trauma.
The Huntsville district of The Alabama Dept. for Children and Families is investigating the
traumatic act brought upon by an internet game. In the game, the main goal is to navigate a
small dot through a maze without touching any of the sides. The caveat of this is that the
game gets a person to concentrate on the dot, when all of a sudden a loud screaming picture
(most likely from "The Exorcist") appears on the screen to scare the player.

Bobby and Jo-ann Durrett could face criminal charges if they are found guilty of risk of injury to a minor
when they videotaped their son Robert Jr. being traumatized by the popular prank. Robert Jr. has not
been able to sleep since the February 8th event.

The popular internet portal "You Tube" is host to the infamous video, that
has made it's way around to all the internet denizens.
In light of the proceedings, both the Durrett's and YouTube Inc have declined comment.
Since the incident, Robert Jr has been placed in the care or Pamela Jackson, Mrs. Durrett's mother.

Although a prank well placed can a delightful joke for some,
resorting to the malicious traumatization of a young child is not
the wisest deicision that a parent can make.
In an effort to curb harmful content from chicldren. The Alabama
Coalition Against Youth Violence has taken a stance against "You Tube".
"Let's face facts. Violence in youth was not a problem 20 or 30 years ago.
Everyone today can be victimized by nothing more than a frightening event."

Indeed, this country is run by people who, when they were children,
started off by watching "Tom and Jerry" cartoons.

As for Robert Durrett Jr?

"He'll be brought to a Juvenile Psychotherapist to undergo a series
of treatments that we hope within 6-12 months will forsee
a full and complete recovery". The Durretts seem to be praying that the
"x" factor will give them the luck they need to avoid any criminal charges.

This is the actual footage:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5823106073263147054&q=kid+scared

Hilarity ensues.

mawande

03-01-2006, 03:42 AM

I have to admit, that's not something to do to a small child. But how small is this child?

MFDub

03-01-2006, 03:44 AM

Wait...they're taking a stance against YouTube? What the...how the...where the...WHAT?????

gyoza

03-01-2006, 04:00 AM

What does YouTube have to do with anything?

... this is stupid in just so many ways.

Roxie

03-01-2006, 04:17 AM

There's *another* vid of this with a different kid.

Timmy gets the crap scared out of him. (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=116361962799953648)

eyez0nme

03-01-2006, 04:25 AM

Fuckers need to go to jail.

KujiInRetsu

03-01-2006, 04:26 AM

That's just wrong. I'd like to shoot the guy who made this game-- hell, I got kinda freaked out too when I saw the thing pop up on the screen.

gyoza

03-01-2006, 04:36 AM

If that happened to me I'd just be startled and laugh it off, but I can imagine that seeing that as a kid would leave me scarred for life. These parents need to realize a child's mind is a lot more fragile and prank stuff like this could really harm the kid.

...and I still have yet to wrap my head around the brilliance of blaming YouTube for this. That's right, blame YouTube for a video uploaded by ONE of its users, nevermind the parents could have uploaded it to countless other video-sharing sites on the net. :bang:

Jai

03-01-2006, 06:27 AM

羽之助

03-01-2006, 09:33 AM

I searched the Reuters site and couldn't find this story. Can anyone confirm or is this typical eyez0nme stuff again?
Thread Status: Unsure

Qbl

03-01-2006, 11:29 AM

I love that clip!

By the way, bad parents! bad!

General_Failure

03-01-2006, 12:20 PM

This video circled around the military emails, and of course, since all the military members I know that saw that are sick minded, we died laughing, hell even most of the guys that have kids of there own was in tears laughing.

When I was about 8 years old back in my home town, I was running through back yards on Halloween, one of the guys in town thought it would be funny to scare the living shit out of us kids, he was setup and waiting, me and my friends were hopping the fence only to hear the loud cocking of a shotgun and a second after we looked in the direction this bellow of fire/sparks and a HUGE blast sounded from his gun. I landed on the ground and rolled, laid there for a second trying to figure out why I wasn't in pain or even dead, then looked around, my friends were PEELING themselves off of the fence. The guy that fired it off was laughing his ass off, as his drunken buddies were walking out of the house laughing their ass off too. I stood up shaking like mad from the insane amount of adrenalin that just surged through me, my friends started to mouth off, they calmed us down etc, told us that was the funniest thing they ever seen before, the guy showed us the ammo used, it was called dragon fire or some shit like that, and there was no harm in the end. As I look back on this, I'm laughing, wishing it was me sitting in that chair to see us die of horror, but since it was me, I still remember how hard my heart beat that night and all the adrenalin that followed, not to include the massive amounts of sugar from the candy, it was the best high I've ever had honestly, but, bad thing is, I don't jump anymore at things...usually end up laughing ._.

But back on subject... this is how it works... "If you see a problem with yourself, blame it on someone else, and get everyone to agree with you" that is the American way. just like back when comics started with Archie and tales from the crypt(yes, it wasn't just that gay HBO series), parents blamed that for their children’s behavior, but it was the PARENTS that bought that shit for them, it's their own fault, and as a whole since those dumbasses got older, now they write the laws on stupid shit like this, and their dumbass kids who are now parents themselves are the ones blaming everyone else instead of taking a look at their own failures as parents. I'm not saying they shouldn't be allowed to be parents, but by god, because of THEM, MY hard earned tax money is being wasted on their STUPID fucking lawsuits, and their shit eating kids. If I had my way, you would pay taxes for your own kid, that is it, and if you don't have kids, you wouldn't have to pay a god damn dime, and when stupid parents like that even think about blaming someone else for their own stupidity I would have them stoned and put on pay-per-view so we can all laugh at them.

Quartermaster

03-01-2006, 02:11 PM

Fuckers need to go to jail.

Hilarity ensued but the fuckers need to go to jail.

Hilarity indeed.

*puff puff*

Decade

03-01-2006, 03:35 PM

"Stop crying, Timmy!"

Alright, while I can understand this isnt a prank you play on kids, I do think this is going a little to out of control. It was only meant as a prank, and yes I understand it actually traumatized the kid, but I dont know if he really needs to be taken away from them.

I think everyone here has had pranks played on them by their parents when they were kids (maybe not the same form, but still did). While obviously I think this has shown a lot of us this isnt the kind of prank you should play on your kids, I also dont wanna blow it out of proportion and say he needs to be taken away from his folks. Let the kid get the help he needs, let the parents be reprimanded, and everyone just move on. Seriously, the kid's lucky if that's the most traumatic thing that ever happens to him.

When I was about 8 years old back in my home town, I was running through back yards on Halloween, one of the guys in town thought it would be funny to scare the living shit out of us kids, he was setup and waiting, me and my friends were hopping the fence only to hear the loud cocking of a shotgun and a second after we looked in the direction this bellow of fire/sparks and a HUGE blast sounded from his gun. I landed on the ground and rolled, laid there for a second trying to figure out why I wasn't in pain or even dead, then looked around, my friends were PEELING themselves off of the fence. The guy that fired it off was laughing his ass off, as his drunken buddies were walking out of the house laughing their ass off too. I stood up shaking like mad from the insane amount of adrenalin that just surged through me, my friends started to mouth off, they calmed us down etc, told us that was the funniest thing they ever seen before, the guy showed us the ammo used, it was called dragon fire or some shit like that, and there was no harm in the end. As I look back on this, I'm laughing, wishing it was me sitting in that chair to see us die of horror, but since it was me, I still remember how hard my heart beat that night and all the adrenalin that followed, not to include the massive amounts of sugar from the candy, it was the best high I've ever had honestly, but, bad thing is, I don't jump anymore at things...usually end up laughing ._.

Now THAT'S a fucked up prank. Who points a REAL gun at little kids and pulls the trigger? Even if it's fake ammo, THAT'S the kind of people who should really be locked away. I'd be really surprised and dissapointed if your dad didn't feel the need to go over to that guys house and kick his ass.

Jay

03-01-2006, 03:52 PM

Not really contibutive, but that's some of the funniest shit I've ever seen.

For all the thumpers out there, you tell me it's worse than his big brother jumping out from behind a door and scaring the fuck out of him. God knows I've done that to MY brother enough times, and he's f-- wait, skip that. The little fucker's not fine in any way, but he's not mentally scarred, either. :sarcasm:

Decade

03-01-2006, 03:54 PM

My best friend still to this day when he comes home from college will wake up at 3 AM, fill up a sock full of quarters, walk next door into his brothers room and will just sock him in the gut.

...he's only gotten him ONCE in the eye. His little brother finds it hilarious.

gyoza

03-01-2006, 04:52 PM

For all the thumpers out there, you tell me it's worse than his big brother jumping out from behind a door and scaring the fuck out of him. God knows I've done that to MY brother enough times, and he's f-- wait, skip that. The little fucker's not fine in any way, but he's not mentally scarred, either. :sarcasm:

Unless you have a face and voice like exorcist girl, I doubt it'd be worse :)

LJustus

03-01-2006, 04:55 PM

Unless you have a face and voice like exorcist girl, I doubt it'd be worse :)
This is Jay you're talking to. ;)

Jay

03-01-2006, 04:58 PM

I'm much worse than exorcist girl. One look at me and people run screaming.

Probably because I'm so big and loud the kids think I'm some kind of monster, but there you are.

Decade

03-01-2006, 05:08 PM

You really wanna scare little kids, Jay? Tell them you know who the boogie man is and slowly put on a wider smile each second afterwards

Jay

03-01-2006, 05:11 PM

Been there.

Me: "I'm the boogeyman."
Kid: "*scoffing noises, outright denial*"
Me: "*Erupting out of closet after kid's in bed* AAAAARRRRRRRRGH!"

Yes, I'm evil. Yes, it's fun.

gyoza

03-01-2006, 05:15 PM

Alternatively... (http://www.leasticoulddo.com/index2.php?date=20051031)

Sock Full of Boiled Dimes

03-01-2006, 05:20 PM

Yeah, that kid is REALLY young. For a second it's funny to see his reaction, but after he started crying I was like "Oh man, poor kid he just wanted to play a game."

Well I'm sure they are loving parents who did something really stupid.

Masa the Masta

03-01-2006, 05:21 PM

I remember one time my dad hid under my bed and I walked in, and he grabbed my foot and yelled really loud.

For like the longest time (between the ages of 8 all the way to 13...) I'd always check under my bed every time I walked into my room.

Shit fucks you up, man. :(

Jay

03-01-2006, 05:23 PM

Cosidering you will live to at least eighty, that's not the longest time.

Anders

03-01-2006, 06:59 PM

Legal penalties for scaring children? Absurd! Everyone in my neighborhood knows that my family goes all out for halloween. Though we didn't hear about anyone having to go into therapy after stopping by our house, we did have one little girl wet herself. Here are some of the many pictures of the decorations we put up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/Anders0117/AlexGoblin1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/Anders0117/AlexGoblin2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/Anders0117/BenZombie1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/Anders0117/Sideviewofyard.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/Anders0117/Graveyard1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/Anders0117/Hangingman1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/Anders0117/Windowcoffin.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/Anders0117/Roryanddummy.jpg

Because these pictures were taken just before it got dark, you couldn't really see the effect the red spotlights had on the yard, nor the red lights in the windows of the house. We also had very frightening music playing through an open window.

To my knowledge there have been no formal complaints filed with the local police... Yet.

eyez0nme

03-01-2006, 07:10 PM

You need to go to jail, Anders.

nice gaijin

03-01-2006, 07:17 PM

the parents were stupid for pulling this on such a young kid, but why aren't these coalitions taking up arms against the makers of these retarded screamers. There's a bunch of jackasses I'd like to see locked up :stirthepo

DesertLily

03-01-2006, 07:21 PM

Ozero

03-01-2006, 07:30 PM

thanks to an accident that snapped my spine, (hey! ow!) I have a bit of a case of PTSD, sometimes worse than others...

i hated 'screamer' pranks BEFORE that.. well... now I'm just savy enough to see that kinda crap coming a mile away. Hell, if I'm in the right mindset, and i'm concentrated on something, it can take something as simple as someone across the room dropping a fork to get to me.

as for my dog, who has tha ability to erupt into barking instantly.. well... every day that dog doesn't get her head mangled by a detachable wheelchair armrest is a little miracle in it's own.

DesertLily

03-01-2006, 07:41 PM

Ozero

03-01-2006, 07:51 PM

Oh damn, for a second I thought you were saying that you snapped your neck due to a screamer prank.

haha.. THAT would suck! Sounds like something that would happen to peter griffon...

(and for the record, it was my lower spine, not my neck, YAY for proper use of my arms and hands).. and it was a ford mustang that snuck up on me, not a picture of linda blaire.

DAMN YOU HENRY FORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but really.. they KNOW the mustang sucks at braking on wet conditions, it's notorious.. why dont they do something about it...?

But I guess if i was hit by a volkswagon, it wouldnt be much consolation either.. :P

CrazyAce86

03-01-2006, 08:06 PM

Oh, that's hysterical.

Sounds like something my dad would do to me. He liked scaring the shit out of me ever since I was little and I was never traumatized.

Fuck, I think it's funny. And if that kid is as traumatized as they say, I say that there's something wrong with the kid. So he was scared and had a few a nightmares-- what kid hasn't? But if he's not getting over it, then he has some more serious issues.

Still, I think it's funny. I might have send this to my dad... (Muahaha, revenge!)

CrazyAce86

03-01-2006, 08:10 PM

Snip

Dude, that's fucking awesome!

I love Halloween. :stirthepo

Masa the Masta

03-01-2006, 08:20 PM

but really.. they KNOW the mustang sucks at braking on wet conditions, it's notorious.. why dont they do something about it...?

Mustangs suck at braking period.. braking actually depends on the tire and the tread you have on them. Mustang actual braking system is teh fail though. Miserably.

But eh, I hear you on the screamer part. Az has his Kancho sense (tm), I have a screamer(sense), to this day it hasn't failed me.

...Almost.

codenamewizard

03-01-2006, 08:23 PM

The act of scaring someone is not a crime...(that i know of).
What was the intent...was it to do harm?....to their own child?...probably not.

Case closed - get the kid some help and don't scare him any more. Bad parents...bah - no proof of that.

Lateli

03-01-2006, 08:26 PM

My dad held me by the feet over the stairsteps when I was a child. We had a huge fucking house back then in Alaska. I wasn't even seven yet.

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one in the world dangled over stairsteps as a child.. :box:

I grew up with my family scaring the bejeezus out of each other. Ah, good times.. No one was "safe!"

When that video was originally posted I thought it was funny. And now? I still think it's hilarious! I'm such an ass :bwitch:

Myrsilus

03-01-2006, 09:08 PM

I can see where this is all coming from... but I can't feel sympathy for the kid. I'm incapable... <sigh> I better get out of this thread now.

Bob

03-01-2006, 09:10 PM

I haven't posted in this thread yet, so...

+1

ellie

03-01-2006, 09:22 PM

The parents made a bad choice, but I don't think they should have their child taken away from them. They obviously know now not to do something like that again, and they'll pay the price when they have to pay for the kids therapy bills!

On a side note, I remember terrorizing my little sister one time when I was younger. Remember that "bloody Mary" thing, where you go in the bathroom and turn off the lights and turn in a circle while chanting "Bloody Mary! Bloody Mary!" and she's supposed to come out and get you? Well, my little sister was always afraid to try it, but one time she had a sleepover and her little friends finally tried it. Of course, nothing happened. . .so, me being the sweet older sister that I am, told her about the "Night of the Living Stuffed Animals", and that all of her stuffed animals would come to life and kill her and her friends if she turned off the lights and chanted some silly thing I made up.

So, I told them I was too scared and left the room. The girls turned off the lights and started chanting. I had tied some thread to some stuffed animals in her room, and snaked it under the carpet and out the door, and when they started chanting, I pulled on the strings, and all the stuffed animals started moving towards the door, which was also right next to the bed where the girls were sitting. The girls completely freaked out and went crying to my mom. I swear, it was just about the funniest thing ever.

Varia

03-02-2006, 07:37 AM

I want to emotionally scar my children in a manner like that.
________
Hash (http://trichomes.org/hashish/full-melt-hash)

Jiant Flying Panda

03-02-2006, 06:56 PM

So, I told them I was too scared and left the room. The girls turned off the lights and started chanting. I had tied some thread to some stuffed animals in her room, and snaked it under the carpet and out the door, and when they started chanting, I pulled on the strings, and all the stuffed animals started moving towards the door, which was also right next to the bed where the girls were sitting. The girls completely freaked out and went crying to my mom. I swear, it was just about the funniest thing ever.

Holy shit... I gotta try that on my cousins one day.

Very nice.

Jon885

03-02-2006, 09:31 PM

wow..these are really funny. i got fooled watching these things a few times. usually i said "Oh shit!" and jumped from my seat. then my friend called me an idiot. good times. but i wouldn't watch them again since i'm afraid i'll get a heart attack. and it was just a joke. these kids need to lighten up.

koku

03-03-2006, 08:11 AM

That is stupid. You can sue/press charges for almost anything now. Really, this is just too far.

Ether_Elemental

03-03-2006, 11:03 AM

Criminy, parents have been scaring the hell outta kids ever since kids were invented. its a learning experience for them. i'm traumatized by things i've seen on television that have left me doing odd little things that i have no real control over, but do you see me bitching? no, because its a human thing, a need to be scared. so that we can grow up prepared knowing just what we're afraid of and even try to confront and resolve them. this kid may just become wiser in the ways of the internets and even in the movie world at large to never trust what will come up next. i see it as keeping the "oh shit, something's going down!" sense in shape. whenever i feel like i could possibly be going up against a 'sabotage' thing like that, i immediately turn down the sound and cover some of the screen up. and its saved me countless times.

OliveButtercup

03-03-2006, 11:14 AM

When I was a kid, I watched PeeWee's big adventure. There is a part with this lady named Mad Marge, who makes some really freaky ass face or something and screams at one point in the movie. That shit would make me cry like nothing else, I would have nightmares about it, yadda yadda yadda.

Now I'm 20, and think it's hilarious.

OMG I remember that part so well. The dead ghost trucker lady all demented. I couldn't understand stand why they'd put a scene like that in a kid's movie!

Kash

03-03-2006, 04:27 PM

How is this any different than the trauma that parents have been inflicting on kids forever? Let's all tell our kids about how some mysterious force killed all the children of Egypt in one night. Or how about how you're going to go to hell for eating a hot dog on Friday. If they can prosecute for terrorizing a kid based on an internet prank, then most every religion could be shut down and it's assets sold off.

Break.com has had a contest with this prank. All you do is upload a video of someone you just scared the shit out of. That's where I first saw this, along with about a dozen others using the same screamer.

Renter

03-03-2006, 08:52 PM

...
Americans. 'Nuff said.

InsertWapNameHere

03-06-2006, 06:26 PM

This story is clearly a fake, googling about has only turned up 3 sites with no link to any sources and they never release a minor's name. ;x

Kuri

03-06-2006, 06:57 PM

I don't think for an instant there are any criminal charges there, but I'm amazed at the people who think that doing something which is frightening and may reach children should get you jail time.

As for the parents, indeed they aren't the best. When I was watching the video I knew what was going to happen but I kept thinking, "Is this something I would videotape?". Where as parents have had better works of frightening their children (starting to wonder why people scare little kids, where's the sport), it is a little disturbing they video taped it and then put it on the internet.

Maybe a little bit of research could be done into whether or not they are suitable parents, but even that is likely too much. Especially being that such investigations, to my knowledge, are horribly inaccurate and likely a larger source of trauma for the child.

I like the halloween designs posted earlier though, wish I had time do something like that ^^