The Scott Police Department in Louisiana has arrested Maegan Adkins-Barras, a 32-year-old mother, for posting a video of two teenage boys fighting at her son’s high school. Adkins-Barras says she received the video from her son.
Following the sharing of the video, Adkins-Barras was arrested on Wednesday, February 20, and charged with Unlawful Posting of Criminal Activity for Notoriety and Publicity.
However, according to attorney Franz Borghardt — a professor of law at Louisiana State University — he claims to have never heard of the crime prior to her arrest and told The Acadania Advocate that “police are going to have some hurdles” to overcome in prosecuting his client.
“They’re going to have to either establish that she was a principal or accessory to the fight, and that means they’re going to have to establish that she was there and somehow started or encouraged the fight,” Borghardt said.
Additionally, the Scott Police Department released a statement urging parents to contact authorities or school officials if they become aware of any potential criminal activity.
“Parents who receive information concerning criminal activity on school campuses are urged to contact their local police department or school administration. Posting videos and photos of illegal activity on social media is against the law in the State of Louisiana,” the SPD said in a statement.
If convicted of the charges, Adkins-Barras potentially faces up to six months in prison. However, LSU law professor Borghardt feels that will be unlikely, as “the whole thing reeks of desperation.”
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com and we will respond as soon as we can and update this article if necessary.
