Probation for last teen in NCH 'bored' beating case

With the last of the six juveniles sentenced Thursday, the North College Hill "bored" beating criminal court case is over.

The incident isn't over, though, for Michael and Peg Mahaney who said the focus of the case should be on the victim -- Pat Mahaney, beaten unconscious Aug. 11, 2012, by the six juveniles.

"My brother basically was almost beaten to death for the fun of it," Michael Mahaney said Thursday, moments after teen Michael James was sentenced to probation for his role in Pat Mahaney's beating.

James and five other juveniles told police they were "bored" and looking for something to do when they beat Pat Mahaney who was walking home from the store.

"My brother was unconscious the whole time. They just kept (beating) him. I think they would have killed him had" an adult neighbor not stopped the juveniles.

"This is a horrible crime. Pat's last year was hell on Earth," his brother said.

The teen was placed on house arrest by Juvenile Court Judge Tracie Hunter after his arrest. The long delay in the case, caused by Hunter's decision, meant Michael was on house arrest for 1½ years before his case was resolved. That's an unusually long time for a case to be unresolved in Juvenile Court.

"This court is supposed to rehabilitate children, not break them," Judge Sylvia Hendon said in sentencing the teen to probation.

"I do wish this had gone through in a timely fashion. ... This is the end of a ridiculously long time in the history of not only this court but this community."

Hendon, an appeals court judge helping handle Juvenile Court cases while Hunter is suspended, said of the four teens she sentenced in the case, Michael received the lightest sentence because he was "the least culpable."

"What in God's name caused you to participate in this?" Hendon asked the teen. "This was a horrible, horrible, brutal, hideous incident."

She repeated the question several times before the teen finally said he did it on his own and wasn't coerced by the others

The teen apologized to the Mahaney family in court.

Hendon placed the teen on probation, ordered him to undergo diagnostic tests for possible mental health treatment and enter a mentoring program.
"Judge Hunter wanted to protect them. I think we need to be protected," Michael Mahaney said.

"Everybody's scared in the community..." Peg Mahaney, Michael Mahaney's wife, said. "The community shouldn't be scared of juveniles."

North College Hill 'bored' beating case ends

All six juveniles in the 2012 case pleaded guilty to felonious assault in exchange for prosecutors dropping an aggravated riot charge. Here's what happened to them:

• Daquan Cain – Judge Tracie Hunter sentenced him to probation until age 21, 500 hours of community service, write a book report, 10 days work detail;

• Antonio Hendrix -- Hunter sentenced him to probation until age 21, 500 hours of community service, write a book report, 10 days work detail;

• Lamont Champion – Judge Sylvia Hendon sent him for at least a year to a facility specializing in providing mental health treatment for juveniles. If he is unsuccessful there, he goes to juvenile prison;

• Terrell Mizell -- Hendon sentenced him to probation and Rite of Passage, a nine-month educational and disciplinary program;

• Tyree Mizell -- Hendon sentenced him to probation and Rite of Passage, a nine-month educational and disciplinary program;

• Michael James – Hendon sentenced him to probation, calling him "the least culpable" of the six..

Where is Judge Tracie Hunter?

Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Tracie Hunter has been in the middle of controversies since before she took office:

• She initially lost the 2010 judicial election to John Williams by 23 votes;

• She filed a federal lawsuit, alleging some votes in that election weren't counted;

• Hunter, a Democrat, won that suit. After contested votes were ordered counted, she won the election by 74 votes. She took office in April 2012.

• The Enquirer named the six juveniles in the beating case in a September 2012 story. Hunter retaliated by improperly banning the newspaper and kicking its reporters out of court;

• Hunter is found in contempt of court by an appeals court for banning The Enquirer from court;

• The Enquirer exclusively reports Hunter is being investigated for possibly altering documents in court cases before her to give defense attorneys an advantage;

• Hunter is indicted by a Hamilton County grand jury, accused of tampering with records, forgery, theft in office and improperly injecting herself in the firing of her brother, a Juvenile Court employee;

• After her indictment, Hunter is suspended by the Ohio Supreme Court. Her criminal trial is set for Sept. 8.