Witnessed A Vandalism CLOSE-UP (UPDATE Post# 116)

[darkmatter]

Quote:
I agree.

A friend of mine in Texas also had a rural mailbox vandalism problem. It seems the local vandals had a game they called "mailbox rodeo" in which several kids (young adults) in a pickup would back up to a mailbox, lasso it and half a dozen kids in the bed of the pickup would hang onto the rope while taking off----this usually resulted in the mailbox & post being pulled out and dragged quite a distance. After the second time this happened to him, he sunk some well casing (steel pipe) 10 feet into the ground and welded the box to it, and framed the pipe with wood so it didn't stand out as different. Sure enough, a few weeks later, the vandals tried a repeat of "mailbox rodeo" with slightly different results: The kids were yanked out of the pickup bed as it took off, dislocating some joints and breaking bones along with bruises, cuts, & etc. You know-----those kids and their families entertained the notion of suing the property owner until they were informed of the felony consequences of mailbox vandalism. Texas justice served.

 

[Amyable]

Quote:
I agree.

A friend of mine in Texas also had a rural mailbox vandalism problem. It seems the local vandals had a game they called "mailbox rodeo" in which several kids (young adults) in a pickup would back up to a mailbox, lasso it and half a dozen kids in the bed of the pickup would hang onto the rope while taking off----this usually resulted in the mailbox & post being pulled out and dragged quite a distance. After the second time this happened to him, he sunk some well casing (steel pipe) 10 feet into the ground and welded the box to it, and framed the pipe with wood so it didn't stand out as different. Sure enough, a few weeks later, the vandals tried a repeat of "mailbox rodeo" with slightly different results: The kids were yanked out of the pickup bed as it took off, dislocating some joints and breaking bones along with bruises, cuts, & etc. You know-----those kids and their families entertained the notion of suing the property owner until they were informed of the felony consequences of mailbox vandalism. Texas justice served.

Nice!

Similar to putting cinder blocks in piles of leaves to deter kids from ripping up lawns with their trucks.

 

[Spookwriter]

First, I am glad that our Miss Laura is okay.

Second, I am glad that Laura is the kind of person that did the
right thing in calling the law. Too many people today turn a blind
eye.

The question of punishment is hard.

Which one of us, as adults, has not at some point made a poor
decision in our youth?

We need justice yes.

But let us temper justice with mercy.



Spook...who is not so old, that he was not once young.

 

[KDailey]

As much as I would like to say "Give the benefit of the doubt and hope these guys really are good kids that were pressured into doing it for some odd reason and let them off with replacing the mailboxes," these days you just can't do that. 18 years old=adult. These kids know that. How many times do you hear kids say to their parents, "I'm 18! I can do what I want!" or "You're not the boss of me anymore! I'm 18!"

That's right. You're 18. You get to go to court for what you've just done. A lot of the time actions like these are signs that they will do something else, possibly worse than this, later on down the road.

I say press charges

ETA: For whoever is saying the kids have never been in trouble before: All that means is that they haven't been caught. AND they're 18. They could've easily done things like this when they were younger and it didn't go on their permanent record. So all it means is that they haven't done anything stupid since they turned 18.

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
I agree.

A friend of mine in Texas also had a rural mailbox vandalism problem. It seems the local vandals had a game they called "mailbox rodeo" in which several kids (young adults) in a pickup would back up to a mailbox, lasso it and half a dozen kids in the bed of the pickup would hang onto the rope while taking off----this usually resulted in the mailbox & post being pulled out and dragged quite a distance. After the second time this happened to him, he sunk some well casing (steel pipe) 10 feet into the ground and welded the box to it, and framed the pipe with wood so it didn't stand out as different. Sure enough, a few weeks later, the vandals tried a repeat of "mailbox rodeo" with slightly different results: The kids were yanked out of the pickup bed as it took off, dislocating some joints and breaking bones along with bruises, cuts, & etc. You know-----those kids and their families entertained the notion of suing the property owner until they were informed of the felony consequences of mailbox vandalism. Texas justice served.

I did something similar to a group of vandals 'cept I filled pipe with cement... and these folks weren't playing rodeo they were playing "Ooops". The mailbox moved about an inch or two to the side, their engine almost ended up their lap...

The speed limit was supposed to be 35... Must have been going 50-60 according to cops and ambulance folks.

Cops told me to pull the mailbox post out though. Never did. They took out every mailbox on our side of the road till they came to that one.

 

[Spookwriter]

Looks like the majority say to press charges. For a federal offense.
That's the law.

I have to out outside now, but before I go let me ask one simple question.

What if it was your child we're talking about here? Not simply children in
the town, but your own child? 18 years old and now facing a possible federal
sentence? I'm not trying to say what they did wasn't wrong.

It was.

But if it was your son or daughter, would you still want us to throw the book
at them?

Justice...but justice with mercy.

 

[mom'sfolly]

The 18-year-olds were adults. They were probably also drinking, but because they were "good kids", this didn't get checked. Having grown up in a small town I know just how this works. If the wrong doers are from the right families, the "nice families", they get off and nothing goes on their records. If the kids are the wrong color, from the wrong side of the tracks, from the next town or from the wrong family, they will be charged, and would have been charged the first time. I doubt this is the first time these "kids" have been in trouble. I suspect they got a pass the last time they were caught to. While I don't know if they deserve a federal felony charge, they do deserve to be charged. Boys will be boys isn't an excuse.

 

[PotterWatch]

I agree that I don't think replacing the mailboxes is good enough (unless I knew the kids and their parents well enough that I knew the parents would be requiring more work from the kids). I think I would ask the officer if there are lesser charges that could be brought. I don't think a felony charge is necessary in this case, but I do think they should have to stand before a judge and hopefully get some court-ordered community service.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

Quote:
If my 18 y/o did that? Yes. Sorry, I hope I've taught him right from wrong enough by now. If he's so stupid as to not have taken that into his brain, I feel he needs the punishment that he earned by being a stupid idiot. My kids have been taught since the get go that mail is federal and they are NOT to open anyone else's mail or do damage to it or the box. My 3 y/o knows this. If my 18 y/o doesn't, well, sorry, I couldn't teach it to him for whatever reason, he's old enough to be considered an adult, he gets treated like one.

 

[GableBabble]

Yard full o' rocks :

First ...... it was wrong it is was illegal

Second ..... as others have said, perhaps, "you do the crime, you do the time".

However, perhaps there is a "middle of the road" here

What if
1. They were required to repair and replace the mailboxes (a given, no option)
2. They are required to do "community service" (some set number of hours each) AT THE HOMES OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE MAILBOXES WERE DESTROYED. The homeowners choice of jobs. I'm sure there are some jobs that those homeowners would LOVE to have done, free of charge! Grass mowings, weed eating, coop cleaning, etc, etc

Just a thought

Just my Opinion,

As a mother and someone who has worked with this years ago....
I would take the suggestion above. Kids will NOT learn if their parents are paying for their mistake. In this suggestion you have something that re-enforces better behavior. Such as 2. They are required to do "community service" (some set number of hours each) AT THE HOMES OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE MAILBOXES WERE DESTROYED. The homeowners choice of jobs. I'm sure there are some jobs that those homeowners would LOVE to have done, free of charge! Grass mowings, weed eating, coop cleaning, etc, etc. The kids will remember having to do the work instead of getting to do something they wanted to do.

Hearing that these where 18yr olds out with a 14 yr old... well sounds like some bad influences. I would be hard pressed not to file something extra on the 18yr olds. This way showing the 14yr old the error of the influences as well as the 18yr olds getting something to remember. Like contributing to the delinquency of a minor child.​