Yearbook Prank Gets Felony Charges? Girl's Name Changed to Sexual Reference (VIDEO)
High Schoolers 'Do Stuff That is Not Necessarily the Smartest,' Says Prank Victim
A yearbook prank could be a felony after a junior at Hickman High School in Columbia, Mo. did a lewd and immature joke on a senior she barely knew. Kaitlyn Booth, a 17-year-old at the school, was arrested earlier this month for changing a student's name to a sexual act in the class yearbook.
Booth, who worked on the yearbook along with faculty and other staff, waited until the final corrections and assessment were done before making her move. The 17-year-old changed the name of a high school senior, Raigan Mastain, to "Raigan Masturbate." Because the books would cost the school about $41,000 to reprint, Booth was arrested May 14 and faces charges of property damage and harassment.
"I was kind of annoyed. It was stupid, but I wasn't that upset," Mastain told UPI of the moment she discovered the crude prank. "When you're in high school, you do stuff that is not necessarily the smartest, and this was an example of that."
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Making the prank even stranger was the fact that the two girls weren't friends and had few interactions. Mastain, although surprised at the serious consequences, feels that at least some punishment was warranted.
"I hardly knew her at all … We weren't friends, but I didn't think I had any problems with her," the graduate told Newsmax. "When someone makes a mistake, there needs to be a consequences. … It's bullying. The property damage is an enormous amount of money. It's not to be taken lightly."
However, instead of the high school footing the bill for new Hickman Cresset yearbooks, they found an alternative solution. Staff placed stickers over the lewd word in 720 yearbooks, which took about 12 hours, said yearbook advisor Kim Acopolis.
Acopolis feels the prank wasn't done out of malicious intent, but rather out of immaturity. Authorities may agree, as Assistant Boone County prosecutor Spencer Bartlett told the Associated Press that the case remains under review. No charges have currently been filed.
As for Mastain, who has seemingly moved on from the incident, she hopes Booth won't be negatively affected for life because of a dumb high school prank.
"What she did wasn't right, but I don't think it should affect her for the rest of her life," she told The Colombian Tribune.
