Judge orders boy spanked in court

Wednesday, Jan. 22, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

The boy, Joe Rose, had appeared before District Judge Dave Gamble previously for breaking into and stealing candy and a compact disc player and from Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School.

Rose and friends also had thrown rocks through windows at Scarcelli Elementary School, the Record-Courier reported.

But the youth's spanking on Tuesday was prompted by his court appearance for throwing snowballs at school, using foul language and making obscene gestures to a schoolyard attendant.

Rose was suspended from school following the incidents on Friday and taken to juvenile detention, where he remained pending his appearance before Gamble.

The youth's mother told the judge she wanted her son to remain in detention because she felt she could not control him or look out for his welfare.

"He's going to stay in detention, not because of you but because of me," Gamble said.

The judge left his seat on the bench and approached the mother and son, who were sitting at the defense table and did not have a lawyer, the newspaper said.

Gamble then told the boy to lay across his mother's lap, and ordered the woman to hit her son with an open hand across the buttocks.

"Make sure you do it hard," Gamble said.

After about five blows, the boy was allowed to stand up.

"That's what happens when you flip people off and act rude to teachers," Gamble told the boy.

The judge turned the youth around to face lawyers, reporters and other courtroom spectators and asked him how it felt to be spanked in front of people.

Rose said he was embarrassed. He was then taken back to the detention center in Carson City.