Commentary: Violence and Accountability Must Be Balanced for Justice
By Jeff Jobe, Community Publisher/JPI
Violence needs to be addressed with a strong sense of accountability, and justice must be assured for victims.
For years, there has been an aspect of crime in some large cities where indifference, hate, and mob mentality are encouraged by individuals who use their phone to take videos and share actual beatings on social media.
A few weeks back, I was given two videos a parent retrieved from social media, which showed her Caverna Middle School-aged son being beaten with fists in the head, back, and face by much taller, stronger, and bigger students.
She shared this with us because of a video my staff at the Barren County Progress shared on our media site from an incident where a student witnessed another student being beaten with a belt by two students and an adult coach, which has resulted in criminal charges for the coach.
It was a difficult decision to post this video, but I approved it because I have witnessed so much in this career, and I truly want the best for the communities we serve. We offered no commentary other than it was being investigated.
We endured criticism from less seasoned news people for this decision, and they were publicly applauded, allowing attacks to be thrown at me, my staff, and our company.
My years of experience are my own, and they are indeed a factor in deciding what we place in print or share online under our mastheads.
It wasn’t too many years back that I wrote in this same space defending a 17-year-old for taking a baseball bat to the head of his father and killing him.
I wrote that I accepted some of this responsibility for not being available to this young man, his friends, family, school bus drivers, teachers and anyone who knew he was being abused, and felt they had nowhere to turn.
It is the responsibility of a community newspaper to be the place to go when all else has failed, or assurances are needed, the system is giving us all the same level of respect.
The mother of the former Caverna Middle School student shared the videos because she believed the Caverna High School boys in the video we shared online were part of the same group of middle school boys who beat her special needs son.
She believed Caverna Schools were not taking these issues seriously because the brothers shown in her videos never sat out a single game, and actually started for the school the following weekend.
I received several messages from numerous parents who said their children had been bullied as well by these same students in the video we shared and thanked me for exposing it.
Because these incidents involve underage kids, much of what I’m told is off-the-record and difficult to quantify. Let’s be honest, for anyone wanting to hide something like repeat offenders, the school system is a perfect cover.
One parent said her son spoke of two brothers who held a “slow” boy down and shoved a pencil in his rectum while attending a Caverna sports outing at the Kentucky State Police Trooper Island on July 29, 2024.
To date, I have found that there was indeed an incident with a student calling KSP while at Trooper Island, and units were dispatched. They made the Caverna team leave very late that night with no warning.
In speaking with Coach Trevent Hayes, he acknowledged having an issue on this night at the camp.
He described it as a student making crank calls and being out of control, adding that he was no longer on the team.
However, he was not aware of any incidents in which a student may have been hurt. He said he was with his team at all times except when in the shower, “We don’t go in showers with the players.”
The now-retired KSP Trooper in charge of Trooper Island at that time, Jonathan Biven, confirmed getting calls from the post saying 911 calls were coming in from the island. He spoke with the coach and was assured it would be handled.
After the second 911 call came in, his supervisor said, “Get them off the grounds,” and “we did”.
I spoke with the legal guardian of the young man who was allegedly assaulted at Trooper Island. She spoke with him and confirmed the pencil incident did happen, but he had never spoken of it out of fear.
I realize these allegations are very serious and printing in this manner could possibly place innocent people under scrutiny, but I sincerely believe we should never allow the most vulnerable among us to be abused. It is our hope that exposing these potential longstanding issues will help bring about true resolve and protection of our children inside the school systems.
Everything you have written is true. I witnessed these same Brothers/Twins do several things right in front of my house. I also had damage to my car which I have a Police report for. I would not let my Daughter move back here and let my Grandchildren go to that school. We had issues while she was in Elementary School here. Luckily I had a backup school she could still attend even though it was an 80 mile per day for me to drive.
First let’s make sure that’s the brothers they are talking about. Because what you don’t want to do is start to put some kids name on here. And if they did such to your property then why didn’t the police do anything to those KIDS so before you start to talk about them know them first bc I’m sure your no saint and your a grown up.
You are telling the truth and all kinds of “outstanding” citizens that are aware want to keep it hush hush ! So much hurt and other things happen in Glasgow and surrounding area . I am glad you are brave enough to stand up and say enough is enough our community needs to do better by our children our future . Higher authority like to put hush hush on people !
Totally disgusting.
I swear the level of war I would go to as a parent for my child is beyond imaginable! Im not sure what I can say that would not sound menacing but shew im saying think the movie SAW!
Thank you for shedding light on this issue. My child does not go to Caverna like I did when I was a child, but they are still facing bullying at the small age of 6 years old. And I genuinely feel like it is being swept under the rug by some members of the school they do attend. Not everyone wants to dismiss a child and hide what really goes on in schools. I had some very amazing teachers throughout my years. But there are teachers in every system that tries to cover up the truth. And that’s so sad. You should want to protect these children. Not hide the abuse and harassment they endure while under your care.
I would love to see these students to be punished and never step foot on a court ever again. They do not deserve that privilege.
This is terrible and if these allegations are true why are the boys and parents not being held accountable? Someone should be legally responsible. Just evil is what it is…
OK Jeff everybody has a platform I want to speak my opinions. Well here goes my mineJeff. If you are a proud member of your community, you would’ve kept up and kept the community posted and informed when stuff like this happened years ago but no, this is more deeper than you want this to be. It’s truly about sports y’all. hate seeing black kids being successful Someone has paid you to try to diminish these kids at Caverna because y’all already fear playing them. This is so sad you’re supposed to use the paper to help but in my eyes you’re destroying these kids lives for what if whatever happened if it didn’t happen, I would think that the people would’ve made a bigger noise then to wait till now five years later. The re story behind this is it’s all about sports and who you think you’re gonna try to bring down.
These kids black white or pokadoted need to be held accountable, we can not let these kids act like animals in school or our communities, if they brake the laws of society while at school, the schools should be at the forefront of holding them responsible, and any and all faculty should be first to stand against this lawlessness and bring them to JUSTICE, I understand that kids horse play around, but it’s the adults responsibility to insure it does not get out of hand, any child involved in breech of peace should never be allowed to participate in extra caricature activities, just as they should not be allowed to participate if they are not holding up their grades, and as a grandparent of a child in the caverna system I know that there are dedicated teachers and staff but I also know there are those who only care about their check and not the kids,
You did not let anyone down the authority of the high and mighty did! I’ve sat here a cried over the young man and the pencil. Look if the spoiled children aren’t taught to take accountability and to right their wrongs we’re really going to have a lot lot worse adults doing much worse offenses not for 1 minute am I taking away from that precious young man. They’ve not hurt him for a night they’ve hurt him for life. He will be in my prayers and on my heart for a very long time. God bless you and don’t let anyone say you’ve done wrong posting offenses if we don’t have someone taking a stand and being our children’s voice. Thank you for all you do!!
Thank you Jeff, for your story,Somehow, this Bulleying has to stop. Innocent kids getting hurt or even Humiliated is wrong.
Thank you for this. I just gained a lot more respect for you.
Sad thing is this happens in every social strata and with every age group.
This is a learned behavior that starts at home
Too many adults, bully other adults, and think nothing of it
I sure wish that something could make all this stop
Why has the superintendent been fired. Why are these brothers not in jail! It’s ridiculous to have this kind of behavior in schools. And I seems to all be coming from Caverna!!! You don’t see these stories out of BC or Glasgow schools. It sounds like Caverna is just out of control and their leadership is doing nothing about it! It sounds to me they are protecting these boys for athletics! They should have been suspended and never allowed to play sports again! Sounds to me they are going to skip right through go in to a college level and believe me this behavior will continue to happen as it was not nipped in the bud in high school! Keep on telling the truth and exposing these people Jeff Jobe!! Someone needs to be a champion for these abused children being harmed! As the school sure not doing a single thing!!
Its not only in the schools.
There are a group of teenage boys who hang out in Cave City who cause a lot of mischief, quite possibly could be the same boys mentioned.I’m not sure. They’ve stolen items, threatened to steal items and there has been other issues mentioned about them. Cops have been called on them. The cops do not care “because their parents go to church” or they’ve known their parents since childhood and they are such “good people”, etc etc.. but yet their parents act the same as them and try and instigate issues out of revenge.
You don’t know what goes on in other schools just like no one knew what was going on in Caverna schools either until a video surfaced.. it’s just covering it is a smaller School with less population than the other schools you would think it would be easier to see or hear things like bullying going on.