TULSA, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma teen accused of fatally shooting a man and raping an 81-year-old woman was released from juvenile court days before the offenses, despite a prosecutor’s concerns that he would “hurt or kill a homeowner.” The
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma teen accused of fatally shooting a man and raping an 81-year-old woman was released from juvenile court days before the offenses, despite a prosecutor’s concerns that he would “hurt or kill a homeowner.”
The Tulsa World reports 16-year-old Deonte Green was released on probation by a Tulsa County judge less than two weeks before the offenses. Special Judge Bill Hiddle says Green didn’t meet the requirements to be placed in the custody of the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs.
Ivan Orndorff, chairman of the Tulsa County Bar Association’s Juvenile Section, says Green’s pending charges were no different than other youths and did not raise a “red flag.”
Orndorff says the juvenile system is designed to be “therapeutic and rehabilitative,” not punitive like adult courts.
