An Elgin mother is due in Kane County court May 9, accused of encouraging her 15-year-old daughter to beat up another teenager while recording the altercation with her cell phone, according to police.
Anita R. Joost, 46, was charged Wednesday with felony counts of aggravated battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in the April 2 incident at a park on the city’s far west side.
She’s free from jail after posting $5,000 bond, but declined comment Friday morning.
Police said Joost was in the car about 6 p.m. April 2 with her 14-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter, along with two of her daughter’s friends. Joost’s daughter told her she got a call from another 15-year-old girl, and she wanted to meet the girl to attack her at Shadow Hill Park, which is located on the corner of Comstock Drive and Ballad Road, according to a police report.
Joost allegedly dropped the girls off at the park and stayed in her car to watch the fight, police said.
In dropping her off, Joost encouraged her daughter to attack the other 15-year-old girl, the report states, allegedly yelling out her car window at the intended victim, saying her daughter was “going to kick her (expletive).”
While watching her daughter taunt the other girl, Joost took out her cell phone and took video and a photo of the altercation, police said. She then yelled out of her car window at the other teens at the park, telling them to put away their cell phones and not record what was happening, police said.
Joost’s daughter allegedly pushed the other girl down, pulled her hair and punched her, causing her to bleed, police said. During the attack, Joost allegedly got out of her car but didn’t stop the fight. Instead, she yelled at nearby boy who she thought was recording the attack, police said.
Once her daughter and the other teen stopped fighting, Joost threatened to break the girl’s nose if she talked about her daughter, and called her names, police said.
Joost then drove her daughter and two friends to a nearby house where they saw the attacked girl go, parking in front so her daughter could threaten the girl, police said. At the time, Joost asked her daughter’s friends to see if anyone recorded the fight.
The owner of the home came out and asked Joost to leave, police said.
The entire incident was captured on video and was later turned over to police, according to the report. Cmdr. Glenn Theriault said police also recovered the video from Joost. No videos or images were posted to public websites, he said.
Although the incident was reported to police by the victim shortly after it happened, Joost was interviewed and arrested on Wednesday, Theriault said
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Joost’s daughter is also charged as a juvenile with felony aggravated battery. Theriault said police continue to investigate, and there could be other charges.
“Not that it’s OK, but kids are going to fight,” Theriault said. “The level in which this woman orchestrated this altercation between these young girls is unimaginable to me. It’s deplorable. As parents we’re supposed to protect our children, not teach them to engage in felony behavior.”
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Originally Posted by DamagedGoods
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