A 16-year-old certified to stand trial as an adult stood all by himself before Jefferson County Criminal District Court Judge John Stevens on March 21, facing robbery charges stemming from a brutal beat-down filmed and uploaded to social media from the boys bathroom at Beaumont ISD’s West Brook High School.
Jordon Savoy, now 16, is accused of being the perpetrator in the video viewed thousands of times worldwide. In the video, a victim can be seen on the floor of the boys’ bathroom with a circle of roughly a dozen witnesses watching, filming, and berating the boy on the floor as an assailant punches and kicks the victim.
According to the charging instrument, at the beginning of September 2022, West Brook High School campus police “were notified of what appeared to be an assault.”
Speaking with the victim, it was determined that, as the victim was exiting the stall, he was accosted by the accused, identified as Savoy, who demanded items including the victim’s cell phone. The victim said he had nothing to give.
“It was at this time the assault occurred,” the PD report detailed. “Video obtained shows the victim in the fetal position on the floor, while Savoy continuously delivered closed hand strikes and kicks to the victim. Savoy left the victim on the floor without seeking any medical attention.”
Heavily circulated video of the assault on social media was followed with a swift response from law enforcement. By November 2022, Savoy was certified to stand trial for robbery charges as an adult.
March 21, Savoy appeared before Judge Stevens to plea to the charges, but still had not yet secured an attorney. According to Savoy, his parents are helping him look for a lawyer; the judge allowed him another month to secure legal representation. If found guilty of the robbery charge, Savoy is facing the possibility of 2-20 years in prison and a fine of up to a $10,000. Although Savoy is afforded the presumption of innocence, the judge began, the situation the defendant is in is very serious, Stevens admonished.
“You’re in the big leagues,” Stevens said. “This is most serious.
“Twenty years in prison is a whole generation – longer than you’ve even been alive.”
— Jennifer Johnson, Managing Editor