Overreaction much?

Imagine, if you will, that you're a middle-school principal.

A student of yours brings to school a homemade slingshot: the top of a plastic bottle, some rubber bands, and a balloon. Another student is hit in the chest by a little pellet fired from said slingshot and suffers "a welt". The shooter claims it was an accident.

What is the appropriate reaction at this point? Do you A) reprimand the shooter, confiscate his homemade "weapon", and give him detention/call his parents/etc, or B) call the police and have him charged with a felony?

Hint: It's not B.

If he brought in a BB gun and shot someone with it, I could see it being appropriate. If he has a long history of dangerous outbursts, I can see the reaction as being justified. But:

Mysinger [the sheriff office's spokesman] said too much focus has been placed on the wording of the charge. The statute Kevin Cottle was charged under covers severe injury or great bodily harm.

An 11-year-old boy playing with a slingshot most likely does not have the slightest intent to cause "severe injury or great bodily harm". I personally rather doubt that a slingshot in the hands of a little kid could cause that. Maybe if you shot someone in the eye at close range, or somehow flung flaming arrows with it.

So, yeah. An 11-year-old spent 72 hours in a juvenile prison and is going to be under trial for a felony for playing with a slingshot.

Am I surprised that this took place in Florida? Not in the least.