A town near St Louis is to vote on whether to make cyber-bullying a crime, following the suicide of a 13-year-old girl who was subjected to a campaign of online harassment.
Now Darden Prairie is to vote on an ordinance which would make online harassment a Class B misdemeanor, eliciting a $500 fine and 90 days in jail. Megan Meier was targeted by the parents of a friend she had fallen out with who pretended to be a local boy who was interested in her.
However, after gaining her trust, they made their fictional boy turn on her with hateful messages. She committed suicide on October 16th, 2006. Over a year later no criminal charges have been filed against those responsible, despite an extensive FBI investigation into the matter. The mayor of Dardenne Prairie, Pam Fogarty, said that she found it "astounding" that no charges have yet been brought in the case.
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