Mocking the case of the WALK-BY FRUITING

Youth Leadership Red Oak participants are praising their opportunity to get an in-depth look at the judicial system last week. 

Thursday, the students participated in a mock trial. Emily Carbaugh was the defendant in the case which saw her charged with assault and disorderly conduct. The mock case involved Carbaugh in a dispute which resulted in an orange being thrown, striking and injuring a passerby. Ryan Messinger, assisted by Bruce Swanson, served as the prosecutor, while Abigail Sherman, assisted by Ivan Miller, was defense counsel for Carbaugh. Red Oak Police Chief Justin Rhamy also assisted the students, while Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson was the mock trial’s bailiff. 

The investigating police officer for the mock trial was Taylor Carrick. Katie VanMeter and Cole Carlson were the victim and the witness to the attack, respectively. The mock case was overseen by a jury consisting of Carter Bruce, Isaac Bower, Cam Bruntrock, Sierra Athen, Callie Yeager, and Garrett Rolenc. Brian Mensen presided over the case as the judge. 

Following the trial, Sherman, Messinger, and Carbaugh all spoke about the experience. Sherman said there was some heavy prep work for her part in the trial. 

“I had a meeting with Ivan Miller who gave me a lot of great advice, and I was able to build on that and craft it into an opening and closing statement,” Sherman said. 

Having a theatrical background, Sherman said, may have assisted her in her duties as a defense attorney. 

“I didn’t feel very theatrical when I was doing it, but other members of the group agree it was helpful,” Sherman said. 

While saying it was a great experience, Sherman said she’s not looking at moving to a law school in the near future. 

“If someone gave me a lot of money to go to college for the eight years then I suppose I would do it. I enjoyed it a lot, and I don’t think any of us would have been able to do an activity like this without Youth Leadership Red Oak. I would do it again,” commented Sherman. 

Sherman gave special praise to the assistance she got from Miller during the trial. 

“During the trial, he was telling me what to object to, and helping me with the legal jargon. Half the time I didn’t know what it meant, but it sounded good!” said Sherman. 

Messinger said his prep work for serving as the prosecutor was a bit tougher. 

“I had a hard time connecting with Bruce Swanson, but I spoke with him briefly the day of the trial and also got some pointers from Chief Rhamy. I had a blast doing it, and it was definitely something I couldn’t have done without the help of people involved in it daily,” Messinger said. 

Messinger said being front and center and speaking in front of a group of people was nerve-wracking at times. 

“You can think of what you want to say when you’re sitting down, but as soon as you get up and start talking to everybody you have no clue what you’re going to say,” Messinger said. 

Another method he used to prepare was to watch a lot of “Law & Order” on t.v.

“I saw a lot of “Law & Order: SVU” and a shout out to Olivia Benson. But t.v. is a lot different from a real court trial,” advised Messinger

Carbaugh said she was very prepared for the trial and what she’d say when she testified in her defense. 

“I listened to Ryan talk in the week before the trial about what he was going to throw at me, and I kept track of them and worked out a kind of strategy to come back and say in my defense,” Carbaugh said. 

In preparation, like Messinger, Carbaugh said she watched a lot of “Law & Order” and worked as a team with Sherman. 

“I talked to Abigail throughout the trial, and I listened to Ryan’s arguments during the trial and I’d talk with Abigail so we could work out a rebuttal,” commented Carbaugh. 

While it was a little awkward playing the person on trial, Carbaugh said it was a wonderful experience. 

“It was a blast, like Ryan said. We came into it wondering if it was going to be too serious, but it turned out to be really fun. The relationships we built outside of the courtroom really helped us have fun with it. My dad told me as long as this is the last time he sees me in court as the defendant, he’ll be happy.” Carbaugh advised. 

During the trial, Carbaugh was given an additional charge for littering as a result of the orange being thrown. The jury acquitted Carbaugh on the assault and disorderly conduct charges, but did find her guilty of littering.