Sammy Teusch A 10-year-old boy was reportedly bullied both in and outside school, driving him to suicide, but authorities confirmed Friday that no charges will be filed in connection with his death, police said. New York Post.
The Hancock County coroner said Teusch, who is from Indiana,Asphyxiation by strangulationAuthorities said Teusch had been bullied, but there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges in the case.
“Initially, everyone was saying this was bullying, this was the result of bullying. It’s heartbreaking, but unfortunately we don’t know the cause,” Greenfield Police Chief Brian Hartman said Friday.
“There was no note, no text message, and Sammy has not said why he felt he had to do this.”
“The general term ‘bullying’ does not exist in the Criminal Code.”
No charges have been filed, but investigators said Teusch was the target of bullying both inside and outside of Greenfield Middle School, including one incident in the school cafeteria and another on a bus.
Hartman continued: “[w]”I believe he was subjected to harsh treatment from other kids at school,” she added. “There are statements and facts to support that. There was a lot going on outside of school… There were probably a lot of events building up in this child’s life that led to the terrible decision he made that day.”
The school was also not found negligent in Teusch’s death, saying in the report that it had “dealt with the incident” and given the suspected bully a “one day suspension from school”.
Daily Reporter report Teusch’s parents, Sam and Nicole Teusch, accused Greenfield Central school officials of not doing enough to end the bullying they believe led to the boy’s death. The parents said they contacted the school 20 times to try to end the bullying.
GPD Deputy Chief Charles McMichael said the district’s definition of bullying is very different than what the public understands.
“State law has a definition of bullying, and it’s very specific,” McMichael said, “and a lot of what happened to Sammy didn’t necessarily fit that definition.”
McMichael said this disconnect caused confusion for people in the community following Teusch’s untimely death.
“Bullying in a general sense doesn’t exist in the criminal code,” McMichael added. “There are rules in place to address bullying as far as district requirements, such as what staff should do if bullying is reported, but we don’t have the ability to sue someone for ‘bullying.'”
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