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

[ChickenAlgebra]

Charge all with destruction of property. Then encouraging the delinquency of a minor on the 18 yos. Not federal, not felonies, they will likely get probation and community service. Hardly ruining their lives.

 

[typnslow]

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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.

Yeah something like that and community service plus a face to face apology. Time and a record won't make that kind of impression.

 

[itsy]

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I really like this response because it gives more information than what the average Joe might know....

The first thing that came to mind is that I'm glad you hid so well and that you were not hurt. In the "heat of the moment" when those teen boys were hopped up on their adrenaline and in their pack - you COULD have been hurt, even if they were "good kids." My personal opinion is that they need to pay for their actions beyond simply fixing their damage.

I wasn't the best kid - but I would have NEVER done such a thing to someone elses property. I'm 30 now and have the same feelings about kids like this as I did when I was younger. I find it interesting that several of the younger people who have responded are overwhelming in their response to prosecute. I can understand where they're coming from. Kids should know right from wrong at 14 or 18 for that matter.

A point that hasn't been talked about enough, though... is the retaliation that you might have to deal with. Someone posted (I think somewhere around page 7) about how you live in a small town and in a rural area - not to mention that you're new there. Do you feel nervous that pressing charges may lead to further problems?

 

[Boyd]

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Maybe the federal offense differs state to state (kidding of course) but I doubt there is any jail time for busting mailboxes.. What I do know is there is a huge fine, a felony on record, restitution to the vandalized and they get the short term stigmata of being a felon.

I had a 16 year old foster daughter who didn't believe me when I told her NO fighting in school, as she had toed the line with this girl so many times and was sent home. Long story short, the other girl called my foster daughter a foul name and my FD punched her out.

I get a call from the police department asking me if I wanted to come pick her up at the police department as they were charging her. Turned out they could have charged her as an adult for assault and battery but was leaving the charges up to our family and the other girls family.

I let her stew all day long and had the night shift release her after she got a good look at who inhabits the holding cells after the bars close.

Problem solved. Never got in trouble after that.

Yup, I am a mean mean horrible parent who ruins lives.

Since almost 16 or 17 years ago I was sent to boot camp.. I can tell you, taking the hard line can definitely open a kids eyes.

 

[bustermommy]

Honestly, even with pressing charges, they would probably get a deferred judgment as a first offender, at the worst. This means no felony record if they stay out of trouble, and easy to get off your record altogether.

Too many kids just go along getting no consequences time after time until they finally do something sooo bad, the consequences are horrendous. It needs to be stopped NOW.

 

[BovieVei]

Scary! Glad you got them caught though! Quick thinking!

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

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We are mean, horrible, awful parents.

I make it my GOAL to ruin my children's lives in school.

What, a 9 pm curfew on a school night? How awful. 10 pm curfew otherwise, unless special permission is granted? Watch the world faint as I am so strict as to be unbelievable. Yes, the kids DO get special permission, and it's not too hard to get usually. But they have to EARN that trust to get that permission in the first place. What do they need to be doing after dark anyway?

I don't check in on them, THEY are to call ME. Why? Because if they KNOW I'm going to call at x time, they can plot to be doing something quiet. If they have to call me, well then, they best not be up to trouble because they TOLD me what they were doing, then if they get caught doing something else???? Well then you are in trouble for whatever stupid thing you were doing AND for flat out lying to me. Yeah, it's not worth it.

Oh horrors of horrors, my 14 y/o was sent to bed at 7 pm yesterday. She was being whiny and annoying, so clearly she was tired, and didn't need to be up with people. My MIL checked on her at 7:30 and she was asleep.

Yes, my kids do stupid things. I could write a book on the stupid things they've done. But it's things like wrestling in a tree. It's not criminal behavior. They do something stupid, I'll make sure they aren't going to die anytime soon from it, but I'm not going to coddle and baby them, or they don't learn to not be stupid.

And amazingly enough, somewhere in there, my 18 y/o has turned into a fairly reasonable mostly adult. I don't get calls from the school about the kids being horrid.

And asking my 14 y/o, she wants to know WHY someone would smash mailboxes and a fridge. Because she doesn't think it'd be fun.

 

[StrayMagnet]

This is a hard call, it's true a Felony charge would keep them from getting a decent job, shoot any record showing your been in jail is a strike.

I"d say Make them Replace the mailbox's and also Community service. and replace the fridge for the lady who had one out. and do some Farm work for you both.

they should not get a slap on the wrist.. esp the 18 yr olds. they are well old enough to know better.. and I'm thinking it's more peer pressure on the 14 yr old to impress the big boys.

I don't know what I'd have done if it were me. but I know I always carry my cell.. so That is one thing I'd have had with me. and I would have called 911 rite then and there,

I did not read all the responses. but I will go back now n do that.. but i hope you can come to a resolution that you can feel good with..

 

[onthespot]

Maybe, instead of a felony record, when school starts. the four boys can get up in front of the whole school at assembly, in the gym, and give a power point presentation of what they did, what time they diid it. how they did it. Show damages. Then show the bill from the Post Offiice for how much it cost to replace the mail boxes they broke, and for the lady's new refrigerator, plus reinforcements so it doesn't happen again. They can then show the potential penalties they may have earned, and how it would affect their lives. Next, the parents can get up and explain their poor choices as parents that may have contributed to the likelihood of this happening, and what they would do differently in raising their kids if they had it to do over. To me, THAT would be justice, and it would help the community to think and take pause and reconsider a lot of things. I think they also should get what the other posted, something where they have the felony for five years or so, and if they stay out of trouble it comes off. They can use that time to go to college.

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

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Well said.