Goose Pond Case Continued To Late Summer

BARNSTABLE – The case of a Chatham teen charged with attempted murder in connection with an alleged racially motivated incident last summer at Goose Pond will not be back before a juvenile court judge until August.

The 15-year-old, who The Chronicle is not identifying by name due to his age, was also indicted in September on an additional count of assault with a dangerous weapon.

The charges stem from an incident in July in which the teen and another 13-year-old juvenile allegedly threw stones at and made repeated attempts to drown another boy, 15, at the pond. The alleged aggressors, both of whom are white, also allegedly directed racial slurs at the victim, who is Black.

The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office is prosecuting the 15-year-old as a youthful offender. As such, his case is open to the public and he could be charged as an adult if found guilty.

During a hearing in March, the 15-year-old’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, said he intended to file a motion to dismiss the case. A hearing scheduled for May 29 on the dismissal has been continued to Aug. 7.

Reddington said in March that his motion will call into question the D.A.’s decision to charge his client as a youthful offender, especially as the other teen allegedly involved in the incident is being charged as a juvenile. He said a separate motion would also be filed to join his client’s case with the other teen’s.

“I just don’t think that it’s very fair to have everyone knowing that there’s a juvenile case but it’s kept secret,” he said following the March hearing.

Neither motion was filed with the Barnstable Juvenile Court clerk’s office as of press time.

Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com