A 15-year-old sophomore at Smithfield High School is being charged with cyberstalking and using false information for an alleged Facebook posting that occurred in November.
According to an affidavit, the teen used a fake account to harass a freshman, who because of a birth deformity, is missing part of her foot.
The affidavit says the phony account, pretending to be the freshman, had a picture of a bloody severed foot under the profile "Halfafoot." Also included - were the freshman's last name and birthdate.
"Kids are looking at it as a joke, it's funny and not really getting the meanness of it," said anti-bullying educator John Reis.
The affidavit also said the 15-year-old's father was annoyed and rude when police came knocking.
Reis said parents need to be proactive and not run for cover. "Take responsibility; let your child take responsibility; there's a consequence, take the consequence and move on," Reis said.
The Rhode Island State Police cyber crimes unit confiscated three computers from the teen’s house.
The student will be summoned to Family Court to face charges of cyberstalking and using false information for knowingly posting the misleading Facebook profile.
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