Senior Prank?

[OnyxCougar]

Found this today....

KANSAS CITY, Mo. May 19, 2004 — Five high school seniors in Missouri have been charged with assault for allegedly trying to tape a teacher to a chair.
The students, all 18 years old, apparently thought it was just a prank, but they now face possible jail time and fines.

The Platte County prosecutor on Tuesday charged Joseph L. Blankenship, Dexter Briscoe, Daniel M. Ikona and Matthew T. Mayfield, all of Kansas City, and Trevor Hachman, of Weatherby Lake, with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. Each faces up to 15 days in jail and a $300 fine.

"Neither the teacher nor the students were hurt in this incident, but this was more than just a senior prank gone bad," Platt County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said. "The fact that the students continued joking about the event, even after they were handcuffed and being led to jail, shows a distressing lack of respect for school and police authorities."

School officials barred all five from taking part in graduation ceremonies five days after the May 11 incident, said Nicole Kirby, a Park Hill School District spokeswoman.

Kirby said privacy laws prevent her from commenting about any other disciplinary actions against the student.

Court records say four of the students allegedly tried to restrain the teacher while Blankenship tried to tape him to the chair. The teacher got away before being taped and was not injured.

A Platte County sheriff's deputy who works as a resource officer at the school arrested the students after hearing about the incident.

So is this just a senior prank or a precursor to other crimes? Assault? Rape? How would you punish them, if at all?