Charges dropped against teen girls in Florida bullying case

Florida prosecutors dropped charges against two girls accused of stalking a 12-year-old classmate who killed herself after she said she was bullied online for months, a police official said Wednesday.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told reporters the two girls, who were ages 12 and 14 when they were arrested in October, would no longer face charges of aggravated stalking and are instead undergoing counseling.

Police said the girls, the younger of whom is now 13, repeatedly cyberbullied Rebecca Ann Sedwick, who became so despondent she climbed a tower at an abandoned cement plant and jumped to her death in September.

Sedwick was targeted because she had dated the 14-year-old girl's boyfriend, police said.

When the girls were charged, Judd publicly identified them and showed their mugshots, sparking controversy for not protecting the identity of minors yet to be convicted of a crime.

An attorney for one of the defendants said the sheriff went too far.

"He should get a lawyer, and a darn good one, because he's going to need it," Jose Baez, the lawyer representing the 13-year-old accused girl, told the Los Angeles Times.

On Wednesday, Judd told reporters the cases against both girls were resolved in juvenile court by placing them in diversion programs.

The sheriff said the resolution of the cases was confirmed through the girls' lawyers. He said prosecutors cannot comment because the girls are juveniles.

"Arguably we could have gone to court with it but would that have been in the best interests of the children? I don't think so," Judd said. "I think the right outcome occurred."

"The 14-year-old who was the primary bullier, the one who was more aggressive, she is going to receive the services she needs hopefully to make her a productive citizen in our community in future years," he said.

The girls sent online messages via Facebook and other sites calling Sedwick "ugly" and telling her: "You should drink bleach and die," "Nobody likes you," and "You should go kill yourself," police said.

The 13-year-old girl's lawyer, Baez, demanded an apology from Judd, whose handling of the case he said was "reckless." Baez has said his client was also a victim after her picture was shown to the media.

"They dropped these charges because they simply didn't have the evidence, and they felt it was the right thing to do," Baez said on Orlando's WESH television's website.

Al Jazeera and Reuters