An attack at a school that left a 15-year-old girl clinging to life is getting even more twisted.
Broward Sheriff's Office deputies arrested 13-year-old girl who is believe to have instigated the attack of Wayne Treacy on Josie Ratley on Wednesday after school at Deerfield Beach Middle.
Treacy, who attended Deerfield Beach High, was rumored to be dating the 13-year-old, who is charged with aiding and abetting. Details are sketchy on what brought on the attack, but new information links text messages to the drama.
Ratley reportedly sent some mean text messages about Treacy's recently dceased brother, who committed suicide in October, just after Treacy's birthday. Michael Bell was found hanging from a tree.
The comments sent Treacy into a rage and that's when the 13-year-old pointed Ratley out to him.
He then attacked Ratley at a bus stop, savagely beating the girl and kicking her in the head with his steel-toed boots until she was unconscious. The 15-year-old didn't stop until a teacher pulled him off Ratley, who was out cold.
Ratley was taken by helicopter in critical condition to a Fort Lauderdale hospital. She is in extremely critical condition.
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Treacy was in court Thursday and was ordered to juvenile detention for the next 21 days for now. His next court date is March 26 and he will likely face attempted murder charges if Ratley pulls through.
Reenie Brewer knows more than she'd like to about youth violence.
Ratley was once a classmate of Michael Brewer, who was the victim of a similar act of violence between schoolmates in Deerfield Beach. He was nearly burned alive.
His grandmother has used the recent teen violence episode to shed light on the troubling trend in South Florida.
"He looked at me and said 'I told you Gram,' as if to say, 'it's going on all the time, Grandma,'" Reenie Brewer said.
Meanwhile, students returning to classes today received a talk from their principal, who made a crisis counselor available for any students who might need one.
"Everyone's sad," classmate Jeffrey Jeanty told the Sun-Sentinel. "It was kind of shocking to see this happen on school grounds."
Irate parents were left wondering why the beating wasn't stopped.
"It's bad that you have to worry about your kid when they go to school, how can you let someone come onto campus and do this and nobody stop it," parent Evette Simon asked.
For Grandma Brewer, the latest case of teen violence is yet another wake-up call for parents and grandparents.
"I think we need to be more aware of what's going on in our children's lives," Brewer said, "and that doesn't mean just getting involved with their homework, that means getting involved with them socially."
