I recently wrote about the horrendous case of Rebecca Ann Sedwick, a 12-year-old who jumped to her death from a cement plant after enduring repeated attacks of cyber-bullying.

In the wake of her death, the Polk County sheriff’s office (Florida) filed charges against two of Rebecca’s peers (one age 12, the other 14). The girls were charged with aggravated stalking, a third-degree felony.

A few days ago, word arrived that the charges had been dropped.  According to the New York Times, the “decision was made by the Polk County state attorney’s office after weeks of investigation and an analysis of thousands of Facebook messages failed to turn up enough evidence to charge the girls.”

Full article here.

Matt Emerson's essays have appeared in a number of publications, including America, Commonweal, and the Wall Street Journal. The Catholic Press Association named his September 2012 essay "Help Their Unbelief," published in America, as the "best essay" in the category of national general interest magazine for 2012. He is the author of the book Why Faith? A Journey of Discovery (Paulist Press 2016).Articles:Fruitful Searching (Jan. 5-12, 2015)Preambles for Faith (May 13, 2013)Help Their Unbelief (Sept. 10, 2012)Posts at The Ignatian Educator