ABC2News has obtained the juvenile record for the 14 year old now charged with the manslaughter of fellow Crofton teen Christopher Jones.
According to a Department of Juvenile Services document, the suspect was charged with second degree assault back in March of this year. His sentence according to DJS, was 25 hours of unpaid community service and to complete a book report. It was “voluntary informal supervision for up to 90 day, rather than authorizing juvenile court action.”
By law the letter says, the sentence required the victim's consent. The victim’s mother says she called to appeal the voluntary punishment three times by the May 21st deadline.
She says no one called back, the light sentence went through and then nine days later, police say Christopher Jones was killed by the very same teen in yet another assault.
"I'm angry with a lot of people who could have prevented this," said Jones’ mother Jenny Adkins.
Adkins feels this 14 year old slipped through the cracks of the system saying with this charge, the suspected teen should not have even been let out of his house.
"It's upsetting, it's disgusting but we're gonna try these kids criminally once their charged with manslaughter and we go after them civilly."
"It shows that the individual who closed his fist and beat Chris Jones to death is an absolute bad egg, and that will come out in the criminal case; we will absolutely prove that in the civil case," said the family’s attorney.
Jones’ family attorney Rick Jaklitsch knows of the previous charge and says it could play a role in his prosecution. For now though, they are focused on the manslaughter case at hand as both teens accused of the killing are due back in court next month.
The Department of Juvenile Services says the original charge we found against the 14 year old is now bound over to the state's attorney for a hearing. Officials with DJS say they normally communicate with victims on various sentences and will look into why it may not have happened here.
