Lying Girls in Garden Grove

What do you think should be an appropriate punishment for these three girls? The story starts in May, 2002, in the community of Garden Grove, CA.  There are three girls, eleven years old, who all live in the same apartment  complex.  They have dawdled, and are at least an hour tardy.  To  avoid getting into trouble,   the three of them make up a story a homeless man chased them, grabbed one by the hair and threw her to the ground, then choked her friend nearly unconscious when she tried to help. The girls claimed that  that they were able to get away only after kicking him in the groin. To add versimilitude, one of the girls scratched herself.

They were interviewed by the police, and according to the L.A. Times, they told a complex and detailed story.   and a description of the attacker was taken. There had been a previous report of a homeless man pestering boys in the park where the girls had loitered.

Eric Nordmark, who seems to be a sort of latter-day hippy,  sort of matched the description given by the little liars.  He was detained by police and photographed.  The boys who had reported being pestered and the girls who had reported being attacked were brought to the police station. Then, according to Nordmark's lawyer,  the police showed the girls and boys the photos without changing the sequence of faces, then "put the witnesses in a position where they could talk to each other, outside the presence of the detective, before making the identification. The children agreed to pick out the person depicted as No. 5"

Unhappily for Mr. Nordmark, he was No. 5.  The police and the parents believed the girls. He was charged with seven felony and misdemeanor counts, including assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury and child molestation.  Bail was set at   $50,000, which Mr. Nordmark couldn't swing.  Therefore, he stayed in jail from the time of arrest until the trial,  in January 2004.  Eight long months.  Every one of those days, the girls who lied were out enjoying their lives.  Mr. Nordmark was in jail.

The case finally came to trial, and one of the girls testified January 22, 2004. The girl took the witness stand last month, testifying that Nordmark "started choking me. And then I turned purple . . . I couldn't breathe, and I felt like I was going to black out."  She was scheduled to reappear the next day (Friday) and did not. 

After her testimony, the girl confessed to her mother that the story was not true: the three friends had made it all up. On Monday, January 26, 2004,  she admitted that all the charges were false, and Mr. Nordmark was freed.  He seems to be a person of integrity:  He says he isn't angry about what happened.  "If I don't forgive, I'm punishing myself and that's not an option," said Nordmark.

Monday, January 9, 2004, the police came to  James Irvine Intermediate and Woodbury Elementary, the girls' schools.  All three were handcuffed and arrested on felony charges of conspiring to falsely accuse. The girl who had lied under oath in the courtroom  charged with perjury. All three were taken to Orange County Juvenile Hall.

One family member and one lawyer thought the treatment was too harsh: "She was scared and started shaking," said Veronica Mendez Ochoa, the mother of one of two girls arrested at James Irvine Intermediate School in Garden Grove. "She's a little girl, but they handcuffed her like she was a murderer." "This alleged crime is not a violent crime," said Shirley MacDonald Juarez, an attorney for one of the girls. "These girls have been totally cooperative with police. There was no need for this." "It wasn't necessary to handle it the way they did," MacDonald-Juarez said. "The girls would have been perfectly cooperative as they have been all along. I understand (authorities) want to make some kind of example of them but they are not a threat or a danger to society."

Editorial insert: Ms. MacDonald-Juarez, the girls have NOT been perfectly cooperative.  They have lied and lied and lied.  That isn't cooperation.

Garden Grove police spokesman Lt. Mike Handfield said the girls were not arrested at school to send a message but because police lacked warrants to enter their homes and wanted all three taken into custody at the same time for investigative purposes.

The girls were quietly summoned to the school office and escorted off campus and were not "paraded" in handcuffs in front of other students. The girls were in custody Monday Feb. 9th; a hearing is scheduled for Weds. Feb.  11th.

In California, minors are entitled to a detention hearing within 72 hours of an arrest to determine whether they will be held in juvenile hall until trial or released to a parent or guardian. The trial will happen quickly, because California juveniles  have a right to a trial within 30 days if they are detained or 45 days if they are freed. There are no jury trials in Juvenile Court, and the trials before a Juvenile Court judge often last less than an hour. Like adult courts, some cases are resolved before trial through negotiated settlements.

If the case does go to trial, prosecutors will have to prove that the girls knew that lying was wrong and had consequences to it. Punishment for juveniles — decided by a judge after consultation with probation officers, prosecutors and defense attorneys — is largely determined by the individual character of the child as opposed to the nature of the crime. The punishments can be as serious as time in a juvenile hall, a work camp or a group home. The court also has the option of placing them on probation with terms that can include community service, curfews and an order that they not be allowed to associate with one another.

Listen up, Catili, Yolanda, and Aurora's parents: you need to get your girls' ethics on track.

Sources:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2397578 http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_012804WABfalselyaccusedEL.5f8e7121.html http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/7820072.htm http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2004/01/28/328234-ap.html http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206~24533~1923828,00.html http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2800437/detail.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/02/10/state0546EST0022.DTL http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0402110352feb11,1,2187900.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-girls11feb11,1,6034075.story?coll=la-editions-orange http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-innocent30jan30,1,4239228.story?coll=la-home-local

Comments

[eric nordmark]

The part that sucks the most is that I have yet to receive an appology from either of the alledged victims or the bumbling detectives. Now I'm here flat broke in Minneapolis denied work because of an arrest record for such bull-shit. Maybe the stupid parents could wire me some money? Right you can't get blood from a stone. "Oh my poor fucking little lying bastard kid was treated so badly." If you can't afford kids, DON'T HAVE THEM. As I freeze please note that the G.G.P.D. is immune from anything they do. I wish people could be straight up. I am.

[zack]

these girls should get alot of time
this is horrible what they did to this guy
they weren't scared of going to juvy they were embaressed
i'm thirteen and been to juvy twice its never scary just boring
they should have their names posted all over the internet

[veronica]

edited for language I do not allow on this blogYou girls are effen stupid and act like you guys dont have parents!!!! stupid hynas...you should be locked up for 10 years so you byotchis can learn your lesson!! junvenile hall is no joke if you guys were in there when me and my homegurls were in there... trust me you would of wish you never born!!! ok alratos!!!