The two young girls arrested for creating a fake Facebook page and posing as a classmate have been released from the Granbury Regional Juvenile Justice Center in Texas, the local director of juvenile probation said Tuesday.
Director Beth Pate could not, however, say when the girls were released, and it was unclear how long they spent in the juvenile facility.
The girls, ages 12 and 13, were each arrested July 16 on a count of online impersonation, a third-degree felony, said Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds. After the arrest, the girls were transported to the juvenile justice center.
On July 25, Lt. Johnny Rose of the Hood County Sheriff’s Office said the girls were still in custody. The following day, Deeds said he believed the girls had attended a hearing and were released, though he could not confirm that.
Whether the girls, ages 12 and 13, received any type of hearing – initially or after their release – is also unclear.
County Attorney Kelton Conner said Tuesday that no information regarding the juveniles could be released. He could not say whether a hearing has been held.
“It’s a stupid law, but that’s the way it is,” he said, noting the strict confidentiality laws regarding juvenile cases. “My lips are sealed.”
Asked if County Court-at-Law Judge Vincent Messina, the person most likely to hear the case, would be able to provide comment, Conner said Messina was on vacation.
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