Teen banned from using 5-letter word

By Hum
in Real World News

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Grand Master

Hum

Posted
Posted

A northern Kentucky teen has been banned from saying the word "Bingo" for six months by a district judge.

Why? Last month, Austin Whaley walked into a local bingo hall filled with patrons, many of them elderly women. Whaley shouted the word "Bingo!" as a joke, causing no small amount of kerfuffling among the patrons, according to KETV.

It might have gone down as just a harmless (if annoying) prank. But unfortunately for Whaley, Park Hills Police Sgt. Richard Webster was working off-duty security detail at the time (must be some high rollers at this bingo hall).

Webster cited Whaley for disorderly conduct. About a month later, Whaley appeared before District Judge Douglas Grothaus, who ordered Whaley to not say the word "bingo" for six months. If Whaley fails to comply, he could face 90 days in the big house and a $250 fine. If Whaley follows through, the judge said the charge would be dropped.

Whaley and his family are taking the charge in good humor. He has even altered his dog-walking route so he won't stroll past the bingo hall. Must. Resist. Temptation.

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NoPanShabuShabu

Posted
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Hah, that is awesome. Though, his prank is completely not worth the punishment he is getting. Our "justice" system is so broken and pathetic sometimes.

Not worth the punishment he's getting? He's getting no punishment at all as long as he doesn't say "bingo" around anyone who knows or cares that he isn't supposed to.
Grand Master

spacer

Posted
Posted

Not worth the punishment he's getting? He's getting no punishment at all as long as he doesn't say "bingo" around anyone who knows or cares that he isn't supposed to.

So a judge limiting his freedom of speech on threat of jail time isn't a punishment?

Grand Master

Detection

Posted
Posted

At which point, Sgt. Richard Webster would cite you again for disorderly conduct, and this time the judge probably wouldn't be so lenient.

Lenient? For shouting Bingo? It should never have reached the courts to begin with, let alone actually receive a punishment for it, the bingo hall should have just banned him

  • theyarecomingforyou and +Mirumir
  • Like 2
Explorer

NoPanShabuShabu

Posted
Posted

Lenient? For shouting Bingo? It should never have reached the courts to begin with, let alone actually receive a punishment for it, the bingo hall should have just banned him

Dude! It was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the Bingo game in progress and irritate the players, for no reason whatsoever. Sure it's a really petty crime, but there was no punishment. Cop gave him a ticket.
Grand Master

Detection

Posted
Posted

Dude! It was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the Bingo game in progress and irritate the players, for no reason whatsoever. Sure it's a really petty crime, but there was no punishment. Cop gave him a ticket.

Meh, it was a daft childish prank, something in the olden days you might get a clip around the ear for.... everything gets blown way out of proportion these days, in court for shouting Bingo... its completely unnecessary and a waste of time and effort for things that do need dealing with in a court room

  • Brandon H, theyarecomingforyou, remixedcat and 1 other
  • Like 4
Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

Don't **** with the old people playing, bingo, they take that **** SERIOUSLY!

The bingo ball caller at the local eagles club told me a story

He said this old lady in the front row just about had a bingo but lost to another person. At the very start of the next card he called the square she would have needed to win the previous round. He said she looked at him and said.. "You little ****ER!"

Grand Master

theyarecomingforyou

Posted
Posted

There was no harm to society here - he should have simply been given a talking to by the officer and the matter been left at that. There was no need to drag him in front of a judge, as that's a complete waste of the judicial system and defies common sense. Only if he was a repeat trouble maker should the matter have been taken any further. The idea of banning him from using a word is ridiculous, particularly when it concerns something so trivial and considering the US prides itself on free speech.

Then again, we're talking about a society that thinks it's appropriate to handcuff and interrogate a seven year old boy for 10 hours over the alleged theft of $5 (a false accusation with no evidence). It's very concerning how intolerant US society has become.

  • Stoffel, Detection and Hum
  • Like 3
Grand Master

Denis W. Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

Bet this wouldn't be anywhere near the news making radar if a cop didn't happen to be where he was. If you can remember this from years back... imagine if that same cop was a HP fan and managed to be in line at the time:

I can understand charges being laid if this teen did something stupid like yell BOMB inside a movie theatre, but yelling BINGO isn't a threat to life. Unless of course, one of those old grannies happens to suffer a heart attack or something.

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