It wasn't an under-aged murder suspect, rapist or armed robber that the Bristol (VA.) Herald Courier named in a story last week.

He was accused of something less-egregious: public urination.

Still, the paper's decision to identify the high school student who urinated during the national anthem at his baseball team's game drew a wave of complaints to the paper, according to Editor J. Todd Foster.

The issue was such a big deal, Foster penned a column in Sunday's paper defending the move.

“We often choose not to name juveniles charged with minor crimes. But this student was not charged with a crime, although he probably should have been,” the editor wrote. “The decision to name him came down to the public nature of the incident. He lost all anonymity when he unzipped his pants at a baseball game and relieved himself.

”Several outraged parents and school system officials called us to complain. While we admire their support for an otherwise 'good kid' with a heretofore spotless record, we have to respectfully disagree. Aside from urinating in public, this athlete chose this behavior in an area known for its patriotism and in a small town where his identity immediately would become common knowledge."

Incidently, the controversy occurred just about a month after the paper won its first Pulitzer Prize for an in-depth report on a local gas company scandal.