I can’t believe what the Nichols’s mother had to say. Come on. If her daughter was such a saint she would have NEVER EVER called the girl to come in, or whatever; not even step in between or call the police – she was right in there on this and deserves the same punishment.

Shame on their parents

The fact that it happened to some sweet white suburban girl makes it more severe, more gutwrenching?

This is bullshit.

If this is the case, I’ve got some schoolmates I need to bring up on charges from a decade ago.

Each was held on at least $30,000 bond and have been held at a juvenile detention center since their arrest on April 7.

Prosecutors had decided on Thursday to charge seven Polk County teens — accused of pummeling a 16-year-old and videotaping it for YouTube and MySpace — as adults. An eighth teen is 18 years old and already is considered an adult under the law.

Today’s appearance was held in a small courtroom at the Central County Jail in Bartow and shown on a live video feed to a judge in her courtroom.

During the session, none of the teenagers spoke, although they showed a range of emotions from being upset to laughing and giggling.

During her part of the hearing, Brittany Mayes, who faces a kidnapping charge which is punishable by up to life in prison, tilted her head with a somber expression on her face. She also faces charges of battery and tampering with a witness.

All eight face charges of battery and kidnapping, punishable by up to life in prison. They are Mercades Nichols, 17; April Cooper, 14; Brittni Hardcastle, 17; Kayla Hassell, 15; Brittany Mayes, 17; Cara Murphy, 16; Zachary Ashley, 17; and Stephen Schumaker, 18.

Nichols, Hardcastle and Mayes face an additional charge of tampering with a witness, which carries up to a five-year prison term.

Here’s the actual ambush beating video clip:

On March 30 about 8:30 p.m., the victim arrived at Nichols’ house on West Calendar Court and was greeted by Nichols and another girl.

The victim went into the bedroom where she was staying, and a third girl, April Cooper, 14, began to insult and threaten her, then hit her in the face several times and slammed her head into a wall, knocking her unconscious, a sheriff’s report states.

When the victim awoke, she was on the living-room couch surrounded by six girls who took turns hitting and kicking her while the beating was videotaped, records show.

The girl told investigators that the six blocked the door, held her down and beat her for a half-hour. Sometime during the attack, her left ear and eye were injured, authorities said.

Two teenage neighbors, both male, acted as lookouts, the Sheriff’s Office said.

After the beating, three of the girls drove the victim to another friend’s house, where they told her, “If you go to the police, the next beating will be worse,” the report states.

Six girls, a boy and a young man were arrested Wednesday on charges of felony battery and false imprisonment.

They are Marcades Nichols,16, April Cooper, 14, Brittni Hardcastle, 17, Kayla Hassell, 15, Brittany Mayes, 17, Cara Murphy, 16, Zachary Ashley, 17, and Stephen Schumaker, 18. All are from Lakeland except Hassell, who is from Mulberry.

Mayes, Hardcastle and Nichols also were arrested on charges of felony kidnapping for forcing the victim into the car and driving her to another location.

All the minors were taken to the Polk County Juvenile Assessment Center in Bartow and were still in custody late Monday, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said.

April Cooper, 14

Brittney Mayes, 17

Brittni Hardcastle, 17

Kayla Hassell, 15

Cara Murphy, 16

Mercades Nichols, 16

Zachary Ashley, 17

Stephen Schumaker, 18