Globe posts story on Memorial Middle School shooter decision

Debby Woodin's article on Judge David Mouton's decision to keep the Memorial Middle School shooter case in adult court has been posted on the Joplin Globe website, complete with comments from the Juveniles for Justice group that has been pushing for the case to be remanded to juvenile court:

Norma White, the mother of Thomas White, said Tuesday that she was disappointed in the ruling.

"I am hoping at some point along the way someone will see that these kids who get in trouble like this need to go through the juvenile system first," she said. "That's the whole reason we have a juvenile system."

She said that her son, who was 13 at the time of the shooting, would get more counseling and education, and the focus would be on rehabilitation if he were treated as a juvenile.

Authorities said the boy tried to fire the gun at the principal several times, but it jammed.

Cari Barichello, administrator of the group Justice for Juveniles, which wanted White tried as juvenile, said White was a "bullied kid. Some of these kids just need help. They need to be listened to."