Charges dropped for Harmony High student arrested in campus beating, family says he wasn’t there

A 14-year-old who was among the 11 students arrested in connection with a widely shared beating outside Harmony High School will not be prosecuted, according to the State Attorney’s Office.The teen, Matthew Mapes, spent 15 days in juvenile detention and was expelled, his family said, even though they insist he was not involved and was not at the scene.The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said Mapes was initially arrested for the October 16 incident based on witness statements.

The Details

The family disputes that account and says they have photos and cell phone tracker information they believe shows he was elsewhere at the time of the fight.Body camera footage shared with News 6 shows deputies going to the school on October 21, days after the beating, clearing a classroom and confronting Mapes, who appears confused as deputies tell him they are investigating a fight. [RELATED: Student beaten by mob near Central Florida school after standing up to bullies, video shows]“I guess there was an incident t