Ross Nipple's mother said her 15-year-old son is a keyboard player and witness for his church who sometimes ministers to the homeless on the weekends. Police say he's a violent gang member who attacked one of his schoolmates and lied to them during an interview about the beating.
The two versions of the Butler High School freshman's background were put before Juvenile Court Judge Ben Allen during a detention hearing Monday. The judge ultimately decided to release the teen to his parents until his arraignment on charges of aggravated battery and criminal gang activity Friday.
Nipple was arrested last week, with authorities saying they had evidence he was one of five teens who beat 16-year-old Terence Reese as he was walking his girlfriend home from school.
Terence's mother, Taanja Reese, said last week that her son's jaw is wired shut and that doctors have inserted two titanium plates to stabilize it.
The beating follows a string of violent incidents involving Butler High students since January, including the fatal shootings of Brandon Taylor and Tykiah Palmer, both 16, and the death of Palmer's unborn child.
While trying to determine where Nipple would spend his time if released, Allen questioned the teen's parents, who are divorced, about their life with him. Mother Vanessa Richards said Nipple normally lives with her but that her work hours meant he would have to be supervised by a grandparent or church member during the day.
His father, Ross Nipple Sr., works at night and said he hadn't seen his son since Christmas. He told the judge he could not remember the last time they spent time together before the holiday, but added under questioning from Allen that it wasn't his choice that they didn't see each other.
"I'm not trying to put blame on anyone," Allen said. "I'm just trying to figure out if your son should remain in lockup."
Richards said her son was involved in their Hephzibah church, City of Refuge Christian Center, and often works within the community with church members.
"He's not a violent person at all," she said, adding that he has no prior criminal history.
Later, she said Nipple was spending time with a deacon from the church just an hour before the attack on Reese -- a statement that prompted Allen to ask her to repeat herself.
Nipple will be on house arrest and will split his days between his father's and mother's homes. He will be allowed to go to church but not to return to Butler High.
"You're on house arrest, too," Allen said to the teen's parents. "If we find out that you left him or he's missing in action, we're going to hold you in contempt."
Wow! A judge is forcing a parent to be held accountable for the child's action. What an ironic twist. However, this kid should still be in jail and have to suffer the consequences. Isn't it odd that so many of these heathens start thumping their Bibles when they're in dire straights?
Oh, so he was spending time with the deacon an hour before the beating, huh? This claim should be investigated and if they find out she is lying, mama should be arrested for contempt.
This is a joke. The Nipple was in the street 3 minutes after being released and is there right now. Nothing changed .... new beatdown coming.
He should be held at minimum until Mr. Reese has physically recovered and hopefully much longer. Nice message to send to the victim, your pain is less important then this little punk's freedoms. Ugh!
The judge should have kept his thug a?? if jail, plus he should lock the mother for telling a bald face lie. Spending time with a deacon 1 hour before the attack on that kid, bullsheet. Not to worry though, he will eventually get his, they always do.
Get rid of this judge. One of the main problems with country today, judges with no "nads"!
Spending time with a church deacon, if even true, doesn't make what this kid was involved in any less serious. Let's have a follow-up story and interview this so called deacon.
here we go again with the same "tired" explaination...."MY SON IS A GOOD BOY, HE WOULD NEVER, EVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT"...excuse#2..MY SON GOES TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY"....i would be willing to bet 1)that his pants were worn up on his waist, 2) he was clutching a bible, and 3) he told the judge all he wanted to do was to finish school and go to college...i give it 6-9 months and he will be in some sort of trouble again...he should have be kept in jail were he belongs....
If his christian virtues are so great, why did he nearly kill the victim? He doesn't have a past record because he was never caught--well, now he has that record and it will be his badge of honor among his gangmates. The bully should have been kept in jail until court.
Spending time with a deacon doing what? Just because a person is a deacon in a church does not mean they are a fine upstanding member of society. My prayers are with Terence Reese and his family.
Wasn't Dennis Radar a Deacon in his church? BTK for those of you who do not remember.
Judge Allen needs to head North. There are plenty bleeding hearts up there that would take him! What was he thinking? I moved down here to get away from this kind of BS but I guess the judges here don't have a set either! This is ridiculous! The victim could have died and one of his accused suspects is getting to go home? This is part of the problem with our society-swat the hand and send them home!
Sounds like there's minimum (if any) supervision in this young man's life. The true shame of it all is, now-a-day both parents have to work to survive and alot of "borderline" good kids are easily pulled into the dark side by their more thuggish friends. When I was a kid (I'm in my 50's) there was virtually always an adult at home. Economics has changed that luxury. As far as this kid, hopefully he just got caught up in the peer pressure from his buddy's and he's the good person his mom said he is and his days of unsupervision are over; but if anything similar happens again, no mercy should be shown to him and his parents will pay for whatever damage he caused........or was pressured into participating.
If my name was Rosy Nipple, I might be a little angry too.
But how do they get to be "borderline" in the first place? My husband and I both work and I have darn good kids. I'm not saying they are perfect, they make mistakes but they know right from wrong! They also know when you do something wrong, admit it. The punishment is far less severe when you admit your wrongdoing than if you lie about it! It's called honesty and intergrity. You can still teach it even if you're not around 24/7.
Ben Allen ! Ben Allen ! Shame on you ! You should know better. Don't let these sorry people make a fool out of you. Augusta and the Reese family needs you to be a part of the solution, NOT a part of the problem. The parents and the church members have had their time with this boy and their ways do not work. Why return him to the same "store-front church" ? or the same "ain't got time" parents or the "Can't keep up" grandparents ? Can't you see how the gang was able to get to the boy ? His people are just going thru the motions. Remove the boy from his covered-up pain ! !
If it's true that this kid was with a deacon and spends all of this time with church activities. It's time to check out the church, maybe we have a Rev. Wright in Augusta. The judge should have asked "what are they teaching in this church?".
I'm kind of surprised that others haven't been released on bond. They haven't been charged with murder or rape, and today it seems to require something of that nature to preclude bond.
We've had people charged with murder on out bond who've actually killed another person in the interim before their trial started. (I'll have to look that one up, although my memory is of a couple of brothers and a drive-by shooting that killed an elderly woman, perhaps inside her house, going back for a thug rival.)
Both parents don't have to work. That is a choice made by greedy parents who care more about having 2 cars, a big house, eating out, more toys in the garage, their boat, exotic vacations every year, heaps of gifts at holidays, providing their kids with stuff all year rather than teaching them personal responsibility and a work ethic, and keeping up with the Jones. That excuse is way untrue and just a cliche. People no longer understand that kids are their primary responsiblity. It's the parents job to see to their education, their religion, their moral compass and to be their teacher not their buddy. When you defend your child when they are wrong, you become their enabler and should be punished as well.
I agree with your end statement willie but the beginning? Exotic vacations? The only vacation we take is to visit family and we DRIVE there. We don't go overboard at Christmas because that's not what it's about, the only other extra we have is the car. Our house is not even valued over $90K. I don't even have a garage! Oh wait, I do have a big shed that we built by hand-all of us! But we still need to incomes to cover the insurances, the food, gas & electric. HELLO!
An hour ago, I was at work, clear on the other side of Augusta. So what? Has the mother never heard of the new invention called a car? Besides, a deacon in a church is not necessarily a good, law-abiding citizen. I am sure that most mothers think their little darlings are good, church going angels who would never hurt a fly until they are in jail for murder. I am of the opinion the parents of these heathens, as well as the heathens, should be paying for the hospital bills of Terence Reese. The problem anymore is there is no accountability. Nobody is responsible and nobody is held responsible. Judges release these heathens back into society and we have to deal with them.
It's a crying shame that the judge would put two parents on house arrest like that. But like I have been saying before, over and over and over again....the juvenile justice system is never going to hold juveniles responsible for THEIR actions. They are first going to blame the parents, society, or they will try to say it is because of some lame mental illness. Either way, expect more of this from this particular judge. This has been and will happen over and over again.
why wasnt he in school????? the beating took place after school
so let me get this straight, Ms. Vanessa Richards. Your son, Ross, who lives with you on Richards Rd. was just taking a stroll around the neighborhood, right after talking to the church deacon about ministering. Yeah Right!! And Mr. Nipple SR. ... you can say all you want it isn't your choice you didn't see your son since LAST YEAR... noone believes you. Stop making excuses. Both of you are sorry parents and this child should have never ever been released to you. Ms. Richards, you will always make excuses for him. I'll bet they could show you a video of your son doing something wrong and you would still blame someone else and talk about what a good child he is. Your government benefits should be cut off completely. And Mr. Nipple, your a sorry excuse for a father. You let your son go.. and this is what YOU have created. Both of you are to blame.
I've always felt that the punishment for attempted murder should be the same as for murder. Why should a criminal catch a break because the victim was lucky (or should I say blessed, not really lucky) enough to live.
I would like to know more facts about this. I am reserving myself until more comes out.
This is so absurd it is laughable. It is a shame that so many in the judical branch of government are still influenced by prospect of religion. Criminals, time and time again, trot out the old worn out religious card to show what a good person they are and judges and ignorant public continue to buy it hook, line, and sinker. Pathetic.
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