The following article originally appeared in the Star-Telegram, the URL now defunct. I have archived the text of the article because I originally linked to it from my post http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2006/05/sexual_harassment_af_1.html:

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Posted on Thu, Dec. 04, 2003

Apology to end assault charge in hickey case

By Paula Caballero

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

A 13-year-old boy charged with assault on suspicion of giving a female classmate a hickey is one public apology away from getting the case dismissed.

The boy's mother, Patricia Singh, called the girl's father, Steven Marcuse, during the weekend to see whether the two families could reach an agreement to settle the matter. The assault by contact citation would come with a fine of almost $300 if the Richland Hills boy were convicted in municipal court.

Both families agreed the punishment was too harsh. Marcuse said if the boy wrote an apology and apologized to his daughter in front of their second-period class that he would drop the charges.

"Children need to be taught," Marcuse said. "They don't need to be issued a citation and made a criminal and dragged through court."

The boy is accused of giving the girl a hickey in a Richland Middle School hallway in September. The girl said in a written statement that the boy's advances were unwanted. The boy said he did not force himself on the girl.

The boy has given the girl a letter of apology, Marcuse said. The boy said Wednesday he planned to read the letter in front of the class today.

"I understand why they want me to apologize, but I think it's kind of messed up that I have to read it out loud in front of my second-period class," the boy said.

Said Marcuse: "He needs to step forward and be accountable publicly for what he did publicly."

If the charges are not dropped by Dec. 11, the boy is scheduled to meet with a prosecutor for Richland Hills to try to reach an agreement before the matter could proceed to trial.

The hickey and assault charge garnered national media attention. The boy and his mother appeared on NBC's Today show in November.

"I was all right with it," the boy said of the media attention. "They were trying to press charges on me for assault when I just gave her a hickey."

But the boy, who likes to play video games, football and basketball, said he now knows better than to even hug girls at school. He said he hasn't been in any trouble since the hickey incident. He said he doesn't want to risk attending alternative school.

Singh said the apology has caused her son to "mature a little bit."

"He took charge for what he did," Singh said. "He did not respect someone else's space, whether forcibly or not."

Marcuse said he wants to "do what's best for the young man." He said he hopes the boy will receive counseling to understand personal space and boundaries.

The boy said Wednesday he has already learned his lesson.

"Don't mess with anybody if they don't want you to mess with them, and don't touch anybody inappropriately," he said.
Paula Caballero, (817) 685-3819 pcaballero@star-telegram.com