Student, 15, charged in brownie theft

[Are_grits_groceries]

MASON CITY, Iowa, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The mother of an Iowa teenager arrested for allegedly stealing two brownies from his high school cafeteria described the charges as "a little extreme."

Jan Richey said her son, Trey, 15, was charged with fifth-degree theft Jan. 8 after administrators at Mason City High School contacted police with the theft allegations, the Mason City Globe-Gazette reported Wednesday.

"I was very surprised," Richey said of the charges against her son. "I think they're being a little extreme. A brownie costs about a dollar. I could see a few days or a week of detention, but charging him like this ... it doesn't seem right."

Steve Shrader, the Mason City Police Department school resource officer, said the school contacted police after carrying out its own investigation into the alleged crime. He said charges were pressed by officials to help deter future thefts.
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/01/14/Student_15_charged_in_brownie_theft/UPI-72581231961236/

Glad to see that police resources are properly used...............

[rurallib]

1. Considering it's Mason City, this could be their biggest crime in years

Hard to believe anyone would want to steal HS cafeteria food.

[dsc]

2. sorry but they are being properly used

theft is theft is theft. Why should the other students or the taxpayers pay for stolen food? I am presuming this has happened before. The police shouldn't have been a first option but at some point enough is enough.

[Smith_3]

6. Geez.

:shrug: :crazy:

[rtassi]

8. Yea, you're right.

Because a 15 year old stealing a couple of brownies, can lead to so many other behaviors not considered "normal" by society as to then justify complete intolerance. Good to see the School district putting the taxpayers money to a productive use!

[dsc]

16. If he stole a similar item from virtually any store

they would call the police. Sorry, but one of the jobs of schools is to make sure that kids learn, while they are kids, lessons that will prevent them from problems as adults. I would prefer he get a trip to juvee now than face his third strike at age 24.

[Runcible Spoon]

30. no they wouldn't, not necessarily

my 9 year old cousin got caught stealing a candy bar last week from a gas station. The employee called the manager, he drove down, pretty much embarrassed her by publicly explaining why theft was wrong in front of other customers. Fuck, you really don't want to know what life was like in MY high school; theft was part of the football team's yearly ritual against the rival teams. But I guess they're football players so there really is some difference between stealing a giant plastic chicken statue and a brownie, right?

I smoked a lot of pot in high school, I guess you would have wanted me thrown in rehab or better yet arrested on possession charges and institute mandatory drug testing for everyone.

Juvie for a first time offense, for a little kid taking a brownie. Wow.

[nadinbrzezinski]

84. nine, fifteen a whole difference in how kids think and behave

for the record a fifteen year old taking brownies from the local store would also see shoplifting charges... as they are old enough

This is a misdemeanor

Now most cops who also get to respond to a nine year old stealing, usually talk to parents, not juvie

My question is, has the kid done this before, and why?

[Runcible Spoon]

87. my question is, who cares?

I think this kid has more than enough shit from getting so much press.

[nadinbrzezinski]

88. I do, as he may grow up to rob people

Having worked in the streets as a medic I know that a fifteen year old is CAPABLE of producing some real pain

And if they are cuddled, I mean kids will be kids...

By the way.. in older societies a fifteen year old was in an apprenticeship and able to marry... aka an adult

Chew on that.

[Runcible Spoon]

95. OMG BROWNIE THEFT IT'S A GATEWAY CRIME

Yeah one minute it's brownies the next minute he's sticking up banks! Get a grip. I know quite a bit about cultural differences and rights of passage/adulthood phases across time and space having studied it for a decade. They also used to burn witches here, and also prosecute homosexuality, I guess that's your idea of responsible law enforcement.

I'm more concerned about how theft at high levels has become institutionalized and acceptable in corporate culture. If having fainting spells over kids stealing brownies gets you off, well have at it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

98. It could be... and you are the one who needs to get a grip

I'd rather have kid learn the lesson with a class five misdemeanor than a class one felony

There is more, we do not know if there is more to this story, like this NOT being the first time. But go ahead, think that we need to cuddle kids.. after all kids will be kids.

Too many folks here saying, but my god, now if it was a computer it matters?

WE AS A SOCIETY CUDDLE OUR KIDS and have extended childhood.. and you know what? IT IS NOT DOING US ANY GOOD

[gollygee]

99. Cuddle?

That's a bad thing?

[nadinbrzezinski]

100. YES it,

After a certain point you need to treat them like adults

[Runcible Spoon]

104. Given the state of the economy ....

some kid stealing a brownie will be a WET DREAM compared to the very real possibility of food riots. I suggest you readjust your priorities and tweak your outrage meter.

[gollygee]

105. Oh, but he could turn into a SERIAL KILLER

Who knows what could follow the heinous crime of stealing two brownies? It isn't about dessert foods! We need to punish him for these potential future crimes! Think of the future murder victims! Don't you care about them??

[Runcible Spoon]

106. I heard Hitler stole brownies as a kid...

THINK about it. :scared:

[nadinbrzezinski]

135. Now you are making shit up

and it stopped being sad and entered the grounds of bad commedy

[Runcible Spoon]

138. Bad comedy?

I thought it was quite amusing and others did too. :shrug:

[U4ikLefty]

158. I thought it was funny.

[nadinbrzezinski]

133. Apples and oranges truly

by the by, the kid is not what annoys me, notice did not say outrage, that is your word

What truly annoys me is how people are willing to KEEP treating a teen ager, almost an adult, as if he were a five year old... to be protected and coddled from the cold hard world

As I said, this infantilization of this society has not helped any of us, in fact it has hurt the country.

On the bright side... fiscal crisis and economic crisis force people to do a lot of growing up very fast.

[Runcible Spoon]

142. I'm sorry your mommy didn't love you more, I don't know what your problem is

:shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

185. Oh my mommy loves me, still

but my issue with people like you is that you have NO CLUE what is going on in that school

NOR do you realize that ZERO tolerance gives teachers ZERO leeway

Nor do you get it that this is NOT the end of the world to this "kid"

But we need to stop treating older teens as if they were five year olds. That is my problem

[liberalhistorian]

123. I think you mean "coddle", not cuddle.

Two entirely different meanings, way different. It's when kids aren't cuddled that they grow up with a lot of problems.

[greguganus]

180. That depends on who's cuddling them too. n/t

[tblue37]

176. I think he/she means "coddle." nt

[Runcible Spoon]

101. Do you mean CODDLE?

Sorry, it's distracting, especially from someone who is trying to lecture me.

Sheesh, there's a middle ground between letting Jr. do whatever he wants and sticking him in the system with a charge that might not get stricken off the record without his parents having to hire a lawyer to push it through, thus spending a lot of unnecessary time and money on BULLSHIT.

As I told another poster, there is ZERO evidence that he did this before, anyway who gives a fuck besides people like you who can't step outside without their smelling salts. He's not out raping and bullying, which is more than I can say for some of the fucking douches who get away with it in high schools every day.

[nadinbrzezinski]

134. This is a misdemeanor, you do know records ARE sealed at 18

don't you?

The worst that can happen to this kid is a talk down by a judge, some community service and a sealed record by 18

This is not leading to jail time.

Should we wait until there is a class 1 felony which carries mandatory JAIL sentence?

[Runcible Spoon]

139. Yeah I never heard of a court record getting misfiled, nope it never happens

:eyes: And yes, that kid would need a lawyer to make 100% sure the record was clean. God, I can't believe you actually think that stealing a brownie is somehow a precursor to a class 1 felony. Do you ever leave your house, because it's a SCARY WORLD out there! BOO! :scared:

[nadinbrzezinski]

186. Actually I dealt with kids who started with things such as that

and who ended up committing murder

You know MOST kids don't go down that route... but a FEW do, and intervention does help at times

Now if you think that we, as a society, should not intervene this way, WORK to repeal zero tolerance laws in schools.

BECAUSE MY DEAR THAT IS THE REASON, MOST LIKELY, THE COPS WERE CALLED

[Seldona]

214. You 'dealt' with kids?

Pretty much says it all right there. WTF is it with people wanting to lock up children lately?

[8 track mind]

218. YES!

It's a gateway just like rock and roll leads to dancing, and dancing leads to heroin abuse!!

:rofl:
:sarcasm:

[1monster]

163. I work in six different schools, middle and high. You might be surprised by the large

number of students who go hungry in school.

I packed a lunch for a friend of my son's for a year and a half (until the family moved away) because, otherwise, he would have had no lunch and hadn't had breakfast either. (The parent apparently allowed him only dinner, no breakfast and no lunch.)

As it is, my son tells me that he gives away half of the lunch I pack for him to other students who have nothing to eat and no money to buy school or other food.

If the student was able to steal the brownies, then the cafeteria management is at fault. The student should never have been able to steal the brownies. I've never seen a cafeteria where students could steal food.

[JackRiddler]

32. You're right! If he stole a similar item from King Henry's stores, he'd probably be hanged!

Hang him! Hang him! Hurrah, hurrah!

[quakerboy]

183. Not really

They really wouldn't call the cops over a brownie. They would have called the parents. If that. Most would either give you a reprimand or ban you from the store at most.

[dsc]

204. Not the big chains

they routinely call the cops over even minor theft.

[quakerboy]

213. Target? Safeway? Albertsons? 7-eleven?

I got caught all those places as a kid. Not a one called the cops.

[Posteritatis]

92. I see no problem with "complete intolerance" of theft (nt)

[proud2BlibKansan]

Frustrating when they don't get it, isn't it?

My first thought was yes this is overkill but why aren't we outraged about a kid STEALING instead of how the school reacted? Sheesh.

[dsc]

20. I am presuming this wasn't the first or even the fiftieth theft from that cafeteria

I have seen the attitude that it is totally OK to steal food from the line at my school and it isn't amusing.

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. And I wonder how many times this kid has stolen from school

[Are_grits_groceries]

23. You want him in JUVEE?????????????

If he wasn't a bad kid to begin with, he will be when he gets out. Theft isn't amusing, but there are better ways to handle this incident.

[Runcible Spoon]

31. ummm, kids have been stealing forbidden foods from high school cafeterias since they existed

as far as I know, calling the police and insisting on arrest and retention in a juvenile facility is pretty unusual and harsh. Charging $1.00 for a fucking school brownie, now THERE is a crime I would like to see prosecuted.

[proud2BlibKansan]

40. Well I am wondering if this kid did this before

Like a lot.

I can't imagine the police taking a report for one stolen brownie one time.

It's another one of those stories where we just don't have all the information.

[Runcible Spoon]

81. well I guess I'm old fashioned and would like to presume the kid innocent of prior thefts

unless there was evidence that he HAD stolen before rather than being all suspicious for no reason. I didn't grow up in a hotbed of crime either, but there was a hunting rifle incident where the cops came out and that was IT. No cops for getting busted with pot. No cops for fistfights. No cops for stealing food from the cafeteria.

[gollygee]

82. Even if he'd stolen brownies before

At my daughter's school, she'd have to have sit in a separate place by herself in the cafeteria and she wouldn't be allowed to move from her seat if she did something like that. She's in elementary school, but making the kid eat lunch elsewhere (and spend lunch time alone) and not letting him get his own lunch would probably solve this as well.

[greguganus]

181. Depends if it had walnuts. n/t

[JackRiddler]

194. Yes, and that's why the government's bankrupt damn it!

[gollygee]

66. There are actually options between "nothing" and "arrested by police"

Detention
Some kind of work at the school
Is he in a sport? He could be kicked off a sport team for that, or forced to miss a few games.
Etc.

Plenty of options that aren't stupid and don't waste taxpayer money over $2 worth of brownies.

[proud2BlibKansan]

70. We don't know that they haven't already tried those other options

Once again, not enough information.

I find it very hard to believe the cops would have actually arrested him based on this one incident alone. I work in a school and the cops don't come for silly reasons.

[gollygee]

74. I've read an awful lot of news stories lately about kids being arrested for stupid reasons

Here's one: http://www.kxly.com/global/story.asp?s=9669140

Little girl (8) with an autism spectrum disorder. She wants to wear a cow sweatshirt to a school party. The teacher says no and starts up a big confrontation. At some point during this physical confrontation, the little girl hits and spits at the teacher. The police are called and she is taken off.

[proud2BlibKansan]

75. So she should have been able to hit, kick and spit on her teachers?

I teach special ed. We generally don't allow the kids to throw fits when they don't get what they want. And if they assault a teacher or another student, the law in my state says we MUST call the police.

The problem is there are hundreds of other children in that school who come every day and do almost everything they are told to do. Why should their education be disrupted by one who throws tantrums and assaults teachers?

I have also taught plenty of kids with Aspergers. They don't normally throw fits when they don't get their way. I also can't think of one disability that would excuse temper tantrums and assault.

[gollygee]

77. No - it shouldn't have gotten to that point, first of all

but secondly, have the parents pick her up and take her home. She's 8 years old. They didn't have to call the police. That's ridiculous.

[proud2BlibKansan]

78. How do you know they did not call the parents?

How do you know they didn't refuse to come pick her up? That happens a lot, probably more than you realize.

And yes, when an assault takes place in a school, in my state, we are required BY LAW to notify the police.

[gollygee]

79. If you look in the comments

at some point the mom responded that she wished they'd just called her.

This is an 8-year-old child and no one was in danger. The law makes sense for teenagers. Not for little girls.

[proud2BlibKansan]

120. Like all stories of this type

(I call them the 'My Child Got in Trouble at School So I Called the Media' stories.) We have Mom's word only. And sadly, parents will either twist the truth or downright lie when it comes to defending their children. Unfortunately because of privacy laws, the school is unable to tell their side of the story. So we only get part of the story. Something to keep in mind when you read these kinds of stories.

[proud2BlibKansan]

118. And like I said, in my state, we have no choice

We have to call the police. Gotta love that zero tolerance bullshit.

[liberalhistorian]

125. Yes, but that teacher was an adult and was the one

who escalated it. The teacher's initial confrontive and combative actions were what escalated it, against an eight-year-old, for Christ's sake. The adult should have damn well known better.

My teenage son is an aspie and the ONLY time he has EVER had trouble with any teachers was with one particular teacher who was very confrontive and combative, and who egged on confrontations. She was told numerous times that this was not only very ineffective, but the absolute wrong way to handle not only my son but other kids as well, and she never listened and never learned. Why? Because she was one of those legalistic know-it-all types who always think they know everything and no one can tell them any different and if someone reacts in the wrong way, it's THEIR fault. Which is bullshit. She was told over and over and over and over again and never listened, and then couldn't figure out why she always had trouble with her students when none of the other teachers had similar trouble with the same students. It got to the point where I wouldn't even return any of her fucking messages after awhile, since every single thing my son said and did was a "problem" that needed to be "discussed and dealt with." The only problem was HER. Even the principals agreed.

My parents were both teachers and they knew how to handle things, and how not to escalate, especially with young children. In the case of this eight-year-old, you call the parents and have them take her home, then have some other in-school discipline. You don't call the fucking cops.

[saltpoint]

25. I'm thinking this is not a matter requiring police intervention.

This ought to have been solved at a level far below police involvement, one hopes by adult staff at the school.

I would have suggested that a discussion of fairness is appropriate, followed by having this kid help in the kitchen for a couple of weeks to learn how much work is involved in preparing food for large numbers of his classmates and also to get to know the people who work in that cafeteria as fellow humans.

The grown-ups' decision to call the cops strikes me as more puerile than the kid's swiping the brownies.

[Lorien]

44. Yep. Have him clean dishes for a week. Using the local police is

an absurd misuse of resources, imho. Our school always dealt with petty theft themselves. They usually would publicly humiliate the kid in some way too, like describing his crime and the punishment during an assembly, and making him stand up before everyone while they did so. Cops have better things to do than arrest kids for petty thefts at school. Now, if the kid stole a computer that's a whole other matter!

[saltpoint]

46. Hi, Lorien. Yes. If this kid could do some dishes and slice up a few

carrots and so forth, he would not only repay his debt to the school in stark, simple terms, but he would also come to personally know and value the work of the cafeteria staff.

Some of them get up pretty early in the morning to come to school to prepare food for hundreds, or thousands, of kids, depending on what district it is.

Two weeks of carrot-slicing and dish washing would put young Trey on a first-name / collaborative basis with human beings who, on a daily basis, labor on the behalf of Trey and his classmates. I think that would be a far more valuable response than to call in the cops.

If he has done their work, he would be less likely, I think, to cheat its standard in others.

[Lorien]

132. Sending him into school an hour early to do prep work

and stay and hour after school to clean up...now THAT would be a punishment that any teen would remember!

[liberalhistorian]

127. Yep, that's how my school always handled these

things (the petty stuff, not the bigger stuff, of course), and it was much more effective. Especially since we were a small school and such humiliation did wonders at both punishing and preventing such behaviors. Using the police in this case is pretty goddamned stupid and petty and a complete waste of resources.

It seems to me that there's more and more of this kind of bullshit happening these past several years, against younger and younger students. The Criminalization of Everything. It's even happening in the "regular" world as well, against adults.

[Shardik]

37. I was amazed by the coldness of your post until I saw your avatar.

Kindness & Forgiveness. Right.

[Alexander]

85. Why not just execute him while we're at it?

The kid is guilty, let's dispense with the courts and just take him out back and shoot him.

:sarcasm:

"I am presuming this has happened before."

That's a nice way of saying that you really don't know what you're talking about.

[trof]

117. Black is black. White is white. There is no gray.

Absolute values are absolutely absolute.
NO exceptions.
EVER.
Rules is Rules.
:eyes:

[DainBramaged]

145. Should he get treated like Bernie Madoff? Out on bail?

Or should he be put in the slammer with the ho's, rapists, robbers, murders, arsonist all because he stole a couple of brownies.


How sad you think that way, I really thought better of you.

[Fearless]

165. Actually no.

Schools' administrations and teachers run under the premise of "loco parentis". This means that the school functions as a parental figure during school hours. It is therefore not required and therefore clearly not traditional for a parental figure to have their child arrested for stealing something from them.

[Dukkha]

187. Is that you Inspector Javert?

chase the thief to the gates of Hell!

[panader0]

3. "fifth degree" theft? That's a new one for me.

[nadinbrzezinski]

91. Misdemeanor charge

Each state has its classificiations

[XemaSab]

107. Me too

:shrug:

[treestar]

4. If the justice system there has time for this

I congratulate them on being the safest city in the world.

[liberalhistorian]

178. Ya know, I really wish I were the DA on this one.

I would love to be able to look those idiot administrators in the eye and ask point-blank what the hell they were bothering me and my staff and wasting my time and public resources on such $2.00 idiocy, instead of handling it themselves like schools used to do before they began losing their collective minds in the 90's. Then I'd love to start in on the police and ask them the same damned thing, what the hell they were wasting time and public resources on this idiocy. I've seen DA's go after such idiots, and it's a lot of fun to watch. It isn't fun to know that there ARE plenty of such idiots, however, and with a lot of control.

[WI_DEM]

5. What will this fiasco cost tax payers? Yes, give him after school detention for a couple of weeks

and parents take away his cell phone or something, but come on--to bring in the police and then charge him for (5th degree) theft and then taking it on into the court system costs a lot more money than the two brownies. If it's a first offense the judge may just dismiss it anyway with nothing going on his record.

[Smith_3]

7. And the torture administration walks ... nt

[Soylent Brice]

9. ouch

sorry, the truth hurts.

lol

[Solly Mack]

13. I was thinking exactly that

[Historic NY]

10. Where's the evidence?

[Johonny]

12. A few more glasses of prune juice and will have that evidence

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

11. Lock him up!!!

Put him in with the "professionals" Maby he'll learn to steal something little more expensive :sarcasm:

I'm surprised the poor kid didn't get tasered.

[saltpoint]

14. I hope this reaches the desk of the new Attorney General of the United

States and that every available instrument of retribution will be brought to bear against this seditious punk in Iowa.

May no mercy be shown. Hard labor in forced confinement for the remainder of his life on this earth is appropriate.

[Wiley50]

15. At least he wasn't charged with brownie rape n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. If he had stolen from a convenience store, the police would likely been called

Why should the school be different?

[frylock]

33. or he may have just been banned from the store..

i imagine it would be up to the discretion of the store owner or manager. but by all means, lets throw the book at this kid. teach him a fucking lesson. :eyes:

[Xithras]

61. I haven't seen a store do that in many many years.

Sometime back in the late 80's or early 90's there were allegations of racial bias when store managers were deciding whether or not to call police. Many stores routinely let the contrite white kids go with a warning, but always called the police on the black kids. Since then, EVERY store I've seen has adopted a "Always call the police" policy. Nobody wants to get accused of bias, so they now let the police decide whether the crime deserves an arrest or not.

[frylock]

112. i was 10 and white at the time

:P

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

212. When I was managing a store, we used to ban people, in lieu of calling the cops all the time

I worked there from like 2002-2006.

[proud2BlibKansan]

71. So are you proposing they ban him from school?

[frylock]

108. two week ban from the cafeteria..

along with posting his pic. someone else had a better idea, which was to make the kid work in the cafeteria for a week.

[Xithras]

60. Exactly. Many people here seem to be ignoring that comparison.

Why is it OK to steal $2 worth of brownies from a school, but not a store? Shoplifting is shoplifting.

[proud2BlibKansan]

76. Because it's an excuse to bash schools and teachers

once again <sigh>

[Pithlet]

196. Your view on this

really explains your view on in the Aspie girl thread quite a lot.

[Pithlet]

195. Because a school is not a retail establishment.

That's why the comparison is not valid. Schools already have measures in place to mete out punishments when students misbehave. Those are the ones they should be using unless the offense is severe. They should not be replacing punishments of minor offenses with local law enforcement. And if some teachers, including a very small few on DU, don't like the bashing of the teaching profession and public schools, it would help a lot if they didn't applaud or defend this latest trend. Yes, sometimes students do legitimately commit serious crimes while in school where the police do need to be involved. A brownie theft was not one of them. This was a ridiculous waste of resources. They could have handled it themselves within the school. He could have been given detention. Suspended. Made to pay for the brownie. Made to attend some stupid scared straight program, if that would appease some. Whatever. But getting the cops involved was ridiculous.

[Pithlet]

197. Because a retail establishment's primary reason for existence is to make a profit

Our school's primary reason for existence is to educate our children. A retail establishment doesn't have a separate set of rules and punishments separate from law enforcement that keeps its customers in line to protect its profits. Therefore, pretty much across the board, its only recourse is to call the cops whenever it catches anyone stealing. With schools, that's not so. That's why it's different. Now, there will be times when schools will have to get the police involved because a student's actions warrant it. But a brownie theft easily falls within the bounds of the system of rules and punishments that schools already have set in place.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

18. More porn for the punishists to wank to. -nt

[frylock]

35. yep

[Alexander]

86. dsc is doing so right now.

[olegramps]

19. The kid must have been desperate to steal school cafeteria food.

[Subdivisions]

22. You, Trey, are no Bernie Madoff... n/t

[saltpoint]

24. Tom and Huck stole Aunt Polly's pies smackdab from her windowsill.

May they rot in hell.

[saltpoint]

26. And when does our society get to the root of this problem, namely,

kids who like brownies.

Brownies are a gateway snack. Next thing you know, this kid will be wolfing down cake, pie, cookies, and Christ knows what else.

Stop it now in the name of God! Stop it in its tracks!

[keroro gunsou]

149. to quote and old deputy

"...nip it in the bud."

[saltpoint]

171. : ) Yes.

[JackRiddler]

27. Next 20 hours on Nancy Grace are now set!

[saltpoint]

28. LOL!

:thumbsup:

[saltpoint]

29. I'd like to read the transcript of the call placed to the cops.

[frylock]

34. rule of law!!!1!1!!

i'm sure all you fucking maroons backing this shit have never broken the law. never exceeded the speed limit or anything like that.

[saltpoint]

36. "Distrust anyone," Nietzsche warns, "in whom the impulse to punish

is too severe."

[Shardik]

38. Old Fred is spot on as usual.

It never ceases to amaze me when the "punishers" spew their hate on the board.

The days of Mayberry are gone.

[saltpoint]

41. LOL. True. I claim ol' Fred as an uncle. He isn't by blood but I claim

him by spirit.

Hell of a guy.

Just the sort of person you'd want running a public education institution.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

83. Not necessarily punishers. Punishists.

Some of them may not have anyone to punish themselves, but they wank to excessive punishment stories and feel all good and righteous and superior to those morally corrupt hoi polloi.

[liberalhistorian]

128. "Javert" from "Les Miserables",

anyone? It seems to me we're more and more becoming a society of Javerts.

[chrisa]

39. OMG! Stolen brownies!!!

End of ze world.

[orleans]

42. 2 things:

first, i thought they don't put the names of minors in the paper:
"her son, Trey, 15, was charged with fifth-degree theft"

second,
FIFTH-degree? FIFTH? wtf?

next year trey will look cross-eyed at someone and be charged with twenty-third degree assult?

sounds like a bunch of shit to me--"fifth" degree theft.

[TahitiNut]

43. What if it had been an adult? A teacher or administrator??

Would the "forgiveness brigade" be so quick to say it's OK??? Why are crimes committed by minors so quick to be covered under "kids will be kids"?? What's bullying other than assault? Why are kids patted on the back (at least by their peers) for acts that could land an adult in jail?? If they don't learn these things as kids, then WHEN??

[Lorien]

45. I don't think that anyone is patting the kid on the back

and I was bullied brutally from grade school through High School, but no one called the cops. Most of us are just wondering why the school administration didn't handle it themselves the way they usually do; by calling the kid's parents then forcing him to wash dishes for a week of undergo some other kind of punishment. Calling the cops and putting the kid on trial just takes local law enforcement resources away from where they are really needed.

[TahitiNut]

49. Would it even make the news if the person charged were an adult???

:shrug:

Remember, an adult would have it on his/her record for life. This teenager will have his record expunged. So, why the even more disproportionate attitude?

[saltpoint]

47. ?

[frylock]

50. usually an adult, teacher or admin would have the JUDGEMENT to know better..

he's 15 years old for fucks sake. forgiveness brigade. that's fucking rich.

[TahitiNut]

51. So, it's too much to expect that a 15-year-old knows that theft is against the law?

Wow. I sure hope you aren't raising any kids. :eyes:

[saltpoint]

52. Who are you, and what have you done with the REAL TahitiNut?

Don't tell me you really think this is a matter for the police.

[TahitiNut]

56. Again ... would it even be a news story if it were an adult?

I don't assume that I have anything close to enough information to understand the choice they made in making formal charges with the police. There's obviously a lot of contextual information that's just not conveyed in a short news story. (We should know the media just AIN'T that reliable.)

So ... I'll merely address 'facts' that I trust aren't inaccurate ... and that's the age of the accused. I merely question the EXTREME reaction based on the age of a 15-year-old ... someone who'll be voting and driving and (possibly) serving in the military in less than 3 years.

When I read this thread, I see far too low a 'standard' of expectaion on the responsible behavior of a 15-year-old. I can't even imagine someone rationally voicing the same qualms if it were an adult.

[saltpoint]

57. But the matter at hand is a teenager swiping pastry from the school

cafeteria.

There is nothing to suggest that he is incorrigible or that he carries a record of multiple thefts throughout Mason City, Iowa, or even within his school.

Of the many saints, a good deal of them were 5-star sinners in their adult lives prior to conversion. Entire cultures rise and fall on the redemptive vibe. I see no good reason to think this kid deserves less than those adults.

The problem was imminently solvable within school grounds. What would you, personally, have told whoever answered the phone at the police station, about the nature of this theft? "That's right, officer, he stole brownies. TWO of them."

Upthread I advance a proposed response by the school. I think this is an in-house matter and should have been handled accordingly.

[nadinbrzezinski]

90. So let me ask you, should we deal with this when this is a class

five misdemeanor, or wait until this becomes a class one felony?

And a fifteen year old should know better...

Now as a class five misdemeanor, he'll probably have a nice talk with the judge, community service, and a lesson... that may help him WAKE UP before he commits a class one felony.

The record will be sealed when he's eighteen and it should be the end of it.

Now we could treat the kid like kids will be kids ... and perhaps see a kid that will never learn and see that this pays.

By the way, here is a huge freaking clue, in older societies this kid would be an adult.

Our mistake is that we treat these kids like oh kids

[saltpoint]

129. Justice may not presuppose guilt.

Yes, the kid knew better.

But he is still a kid, and the adults in the decision-making circle who opted for the police call should be ashamed of themselves.

[nadinbrzezinski]

136. A fifteen year old is NOT a kid

and we should not treat them as "kids."

That is the problem with our society. We have extended childhood to the twenties... and fail to teach responsibility

Now I asked, would be ok if we called the cops ONLY when the kid commits a class I felony (read grand theft auto, or stealing anything above 400 dollars?)

For the record if he stole a candy from the local 7.11 chances are the owner or manager would have ALSO called the cops... is that ok then?

Now if we were talking about an 8 year old, THAT is a kid, who may or may not know YET that doing that is wrong. But if a 15 Y\O does not know that taking a brownie is stealing, then we are having other problems.

[saltpoint]

141. A fifteen-year old is a legal minor.

Including in Iowa, including in Mason City.

You are mistaken there, or else the point you are making expresses a separate topic. Some 12-year olds behave in a very mature fashion, certainly; some 18-year olds do not.

I understand that point but it is not the point at hand.

This student is a legal minor. Phone any attorney's office and you will have this confirmed.

I am quite sure you are correct that this 15-year old knew that swiping the brownies was wrong. The point many of us are making, though, is that as transgressions go, this one is extremely low on the list.

I'd be interested to know if the school he attends is as vigorous in advocating for his learning process as they are in punishing him for stealing pastry.

You argue for more responsibility in our society. I have no idea who would disagree with you on that. Very likely no one. Until more is asked and more is demonstrated, however, the matter at hand is how to handle a circumstance in which a teenager swipes pastry treats from his school cafeteria.

In my opinion the adults who picked up that phone to summon the police should be spanked. I'm ashamed of them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

184. Why the court will seal the file at 18

and your point is?

By the way you are so ashamed, CHANGE the no tolerance laws

[saltpoint]

216. A solvable problem should not invoke statuatory consequence.

School officials could have managed this efficiently and effectively in-house.

If they are not able to manage this kind of incident efficiently and effecitvely in-house, it is my opinion that their sorry asses should be fired.

Where were the adults at this high school? Were they all absent that day and no one around to solve the problem?

The police were called as an ELECTIVE resolution.

You might try making that distinction and use it as your beginning point.

[TahitiNut]

161. The conviction of minors for misdemeanors already carries with it a redemption.

Minors have their records expunged when they attain the age of majority. This itself provides a comprehensive "training wheels" or "trial period" for adulthood. When he reaches 18, he's a "virgin" again. Whoopee! He can engage in all the theft he wants and then the slate is wiped clean.

The same does NOT happen to an adult. Therefore, minors are inherently given a "pass" of a kind. To compound that and not even 'introduce' them to our "rule of law" society is just asking for disrepect for the law. What the fuck ... too much trouble to change them so let's just ignore them. Yeah ... that's the ticket. Ignore the laws. After all, "we all know" they're ridiculous, right? (Only "some people" get treated badly ... not "us.")

:eyes: :eyes:

So, I say again ... change the law if it seems unfair. Good luck.

[saltpoint]

164. Redemption is also a cultural imperative. And measured and gauged

proportional to transgression.

The woman Jesus defends was accused of adultery. Let us assume she was an adult. She clearly broke the law of her village and her neighbors had already gathered stones and were arm-cocked to hurl them at her there in the pit to avenge their collective outrage.

What's-His-Name does his famous cameo at this point, admonishing the villagers for their own imperfections, suggesting that if anyone there present has none he or she may commence to stoning the adulteress.

We are given to believe that none came forth. Hence, redemption predates the law in Iowa and prevails as a cultural idea, culturally manifest.

If it saves the adulteress it seems to me it ought to more intelligently deal with a brownie-swiping 15-year old in Mason City.

I charge that the adults in question were by all counts authoritarian pricks. The news article clearly states that the kid was made an example of, that no prior theft was indicated, and that the investigation was undertaken as a warning to other students against future food heists.

If the school officials reached this decision absent some trump-card point not reported in the article, then they are idiots and should not be in charge of any child's education.

A very weak performance by the grown-ups in charge.

[frylock]

111. not at all..

i just feel there's a better way of dealing with the situation. you want to throw the book at him. what a fucking humanitarian you are.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4841389&mesg_id=4844432

[Posteritatis]

93. So when exactly did you learn theft was bad? 16? 18? 21? (nt)

[frylock]

109. i learned at a rather early age..

when i nicked a candy bar from the liquor store. the owner threatened to call my folks, explained to me about his thin profit margin and banned me from the store. 33 years later and i remember the experience as if it was yesterday.

[Posteritatis]

110. And yet you still think it's unreasonable to expect a 15-year-old to know better? (nt)

[frylock]

114. i try not to pass judgement..

knock yourself out.

[TheWraith]

122. I think it's unreasonable to arrest a 15 year old for stealing a couple brownies.

It's not like he's carjacking, or holding up a bank. A reasonable person would have him pay the cafeteria back and apologize.

[nadinbrzezinski]

137. I asked above, what is reasonable? To have him

go see the judge (since the cops were called) have him do some community service and be talked down by the judge...

Or should we wait until he commits a class I felony which carries a mandatory jail sentence?

[Runcible Spoon]

144. OH. MY. GOD.

You are OBSESSED and completely convinced that there is some causative link between stealing brownies and committing Class 1 felonies. I do things that are more illegal than stealing brownies at least once a week. Feel free to tell me how you would like me to be sentenced for smoking pot. However, I never graduated to IV heroin and am not really fond of the whole gateway bullshit argument for anything.

[nadinbrzezinski]

179. I am not obsessed, I am dealing with the facts of the case

The cops were called, Why? NO TOLERANCE LAWS, there I said it

So SINCE THEY WERE CALLED and HE WAS CHARGED, this is what will happen

And again YOU AND I HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE IF THERE IS A HISTORY HERE EITHER

Get a grip... worst things can happen than seeing a judge, doing some community service and having his file sealed at 18

You are the one obsessed with giving "kids" a pass

After all, they are just kids. So the question stands... should we as a society intervene ONLY when a class I felony is committed since they are only "kids?" Should we call the cops ONLY when there is assault involved, or our precious darlings took 400+ worth of materials from anywhere?

[Runcible Spoon]

199. If you want to intervene early, you look at:

If the kid is in poverty, if the kid is being abused or bullied, if the kid has some psychological issue or drug problem. All of those are ROOT CAUSES of all of these felonies that keep you shivering in fear. Calling the cops over a brownie just gives them an early lesson in how fucking broken the system is, and so they try to learn ways around it rather than believing in it and living within it. You have no idea if this school is zero tolerance at all, and yeah I will do what's in my power to speak against these idiotic laws; it will be quite a challenge trying to change ANYTHING with people like you crying out for blood.

It's so sad...you see potential criminals where I see kids who need some guidance.

[nadinbrzezinski]

200. Calling the cops happens because of zero tolerance laws

not because I am shivering in my boots

Try to get a grip and LEARN why things happen

I am not saying whether this is the right thing to do, just that THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN GIVEN THE FACTS OF THE CASE

Now zero tolerance laws and their effects are a whole different kettle of fish, though related

[Runcible Spoon]

201. You're making shit up, there's NO evidence this school is under no-tolerance laws

I have absolutely no problem learning, but I would rather stick to the facts than create insane fantasies of adolescent boys stealing brownies one day and then raping me in a dark alleyway the next.

You really need to question why you are so emotionally invested in this argument, I mean really. It's starting to unravel whatever strained logic was in your earlier posts. Now you're just outright contradicting yourself. It's either about no-tolerance laws or it's about a school making an example of an unfortunate kid. The article has nothing of the former and quotes administrators admitting the latter.

If you want the last word, on this, I don't care. Post away. It has ceased being amusing to me since I truly am quite shocked at how personally and seriously you are taking this. I hope you can relax. Ciao.

[nadinbrzezinski]

203. I am willing to bet they do

here is a real story, that alas never made it to the paper

And the reality in schools across the country TODAY

Kid peed on the wall at the bathroom, school called cops for ahem vandalism

To make a long story short, the school and the police department were sued by the parents who won such lawsuit, due to the fact that their son was blind, and the school had no facilities for handicapped children

In the course of the case, during discovery, the school revealed this little factoid, that due to no-tolerance laws they had no choice

They had a choice... but once they involved the cops, the balls gets rolling...and they also revealed another thing... they feel they have no choice due to local attitudes as well as the litigious nature of the country

And these laws are all over the country... in some form or another... due to Columbine, chiefly

So do some research...

You want that to change... get rid of those laws. Perhaps then schools will feel they can use some ahem common sense.

And I am willing to bet this school district has a zero tolerance policy.

[saltpoint]

146. Why are you insisting that the trajectory of this

kid's life is predetermined? Says who? You say his swiping 2 brownies in school is tantamont to future felony transgression?

That's baseless.

Justice may not presuppose guilt.

Unless your personal crystal ball is vastly superior to the justice system, I don't think you have a case.

This kid transgressed by stealing the pastry. Does it rise, in your view, to the level that a police summons is made to the school grounds?

What do they do if someone farts in study hall? Call in an air strike?

Were you the cop who picked up the phone that day, would you not have wondered why you or another officer should be dispatched to the school to undertake an investigation of pastry theft on the part of a 15-year old?

Christ, that's ridiculous. The cops should have hauled off whoever decided to contact the police.

[nadinbrzezinski]

182. Dealign with the facts of the STORY

the cops were called.

The young man was charged with a misdemeanor

He will most likely see a judge, have the proverbial riot act read to him... have the "book thrown at him" the way that it usually is done in these cases, if there is no record, COMMUNITY SERVICE... I guess that is really bad...

The day he turns 18 the file is sealed

Now once again, since these are the facts that we have... should we instead wait until the kid commits a class I felony to call the cops?

And do you know if there is a history here?

I mean is this the first time he takes brownies, or he's been doing this for a while?

We don't know this

And at 15 I am sorry, but we are not dealign with a kid who didn't know better. If he didn't, then we are definitely dealing with far more than meets the eye.

So answer the question, in your view should society wait to intervene in any of these cases until the kid commits a class I felony that carries a MANDATORY jail sentence? That my dear, is throwing the book at them.

[saltpoint]

208. You re-stack your bias in favor of the pastry-swiping = future felony

but provide no indication why this should be the case.

I believe most attorneys would advise you that you con't have a case to start with.

[TheWraith]

188. Why do you imagine that taking a couple brownies is the same as murder?

This sounds like the bullshit that's shoveled by the people who promote mandatory minimum sentences on the fantasy that they prevent crime.

[nadinbrzezinski]

202. It is not the same as murder

you think I think that, oh well

But theft is theft is theft,

As a society we don't condone it

And if your problem is cops were called, look into Zero Tolerance Laws and CHANGE them. That is why they no longer have the leeway in your fantasy schools still have

Now a dose of reality, mandatory sentences don't work, why they are bullshit, nor does the death penalty, but early intervention (this may or may not be extreme, see Zero Tolerance Laws again), usually helps to give this young man the tools he will need NOT to steal again.

There are many other ways this could have been dealt with, alas zero tolerance laws don't allow for that, and that my dear is a whole different discussion

The facts are cops were called

Facts are he was charged

Facts are he will see a judge

Facts are he will be given some kind of on the face of it, light punishment

Facts are... that will be the end of it

[Bucky]

54. Pfff, teachers don't steal brownies. We steal copier paper.

[Runcible Spoon]

80. ..................

:spray:

How fucking true! When I was in grad school, most of the GSO (grad student org) meetings spent 90% of the time wrangling over which departments were most guilty in racking up $700 a MONTH in PRINTING and COPYING, including toner and paper costs. Now, I've been as guilty as anyone else for copying an article on that machine rather that paying 10cents a page in the library computer center, but there were people scanning ENTIRE BOOKS.

We didn't call the cops, even though it was technically theft and if we really wanted to push the issue they probably would have been booted from school. Ratting out that kind of shit ruins it for EVERYONE. So we did the easiest thing, just instituted a passcode for each department and within a month it was perfectly clear who was the biggest culprit (UA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS I'M LOOKING AT YOU!) :evilgrin:

[yasmina27]

153. Oh christ

how right you are!

We get 3 reams per month....

[gollygee]

65. They could have their pay docked $2

or they could be fired for embezzlement even. But to call the police over $2 is stupid.

[mudesi]

94. Because they're KIDS

This is way over the top.

Put him in detention, for crying out loud.

Who among us can honestly say we never stole when we were kids?

[Runcible Spoon]

96. The fucking BUSH ADMINISTRATION is more responsible for teaching kids it's OK to steal ...

than every pastry theft that has ever happened in the entire history of the world.

[DutchLiberal]

143. Adults would be put in jail for stealing a brownie? Where?!!

[saltpoint]

147. And not just brownies, goddamit. Donuts! Cookies! Whole pies and cakes!

Our prisons are strewn with desperados who tried to steal pastry from one venue or another, most of them dating back to their school years.

These are sugar-crazed madmen, every one of them. Thank Christ they're locked up so the rest of us can live in safety!

[TahitiNut]

159. Clearly it's better that some minimum wage cafeteria worker get dinged for the loss.

Yup, that's the ticket. Fuck the working poor. :eyes:

[saltpoint]

160. I'm absolutely positive that was the kid's intent. I'm positive.

What other motive could a 15-year old have in stealing pastry than to send a signal to all of America that he has no regard for wage-earners?

I mean, you just KNOW how political teenagers can be.

It's obvious.

[DutchLiberal]

192. I thought this was a liberal message board. Was I mistaken, huh?

People railing against impeachment of Bush, and arguing for putting 15 year old brownie-stealers in jail.

[saltpoint]

209. "He who would steal brownies from a cafeteria so he steals from me,"

is how Jesus put it.

This kid must be crucified.

[TahitiNut]

156. Fifth-degree theft is a simple misdemeanor.

"Fifth-degree theft" (theft of property not exceeding two hundred dollars in value) is a simple misdemeanor. It is punishable by a fine not exceeding $500 and/or 30 days in jail in virtually all jurisdictions.

Adults are NOT exempt. Nor are minors. In fact, aiding and abetting is also punishable in the same degree.

Try changing the law if you don't like it. Good luck.

http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/states/Iowa.Ct.App/04-0953.asp.html


If you think stealing a couple of brownies in the cafeteria is OK ... how about parking??

University of Iowa basketball player Sean Sonderleiter, 22, was charged Sunday with fifth-degree theft after he allegedly tried to skip paying for parking in the UI Lot 33.

According to UI police records, Sonderleiter, 2411 Bartlett Drive, allegedly admitted to driving down the embankment of the parking lot onto Elliott Drive on Oct. 29, neglecting to pay the parking fee. The report also indicates that Sonderleiter had exited the parking lot on a previous occasion when there was no cashier attendant present.

http://media.www.dailyiowan.com/media/storage/paper599/news/2003/11/12/Sports/Sonderleiter.Charged.With.5thDegree.Theft-555078.shtml

How about a box of cold medicine???

(Iowa State University) Cyclone basketball standout Mike Taylor has had another run-in with the law after being cited for fifth-degree theft Saturday.

According to Ames Police, Taylor is accused of stealing a box of cold medicine from Cub Foods, 3121 Grand Ave. After being stopped by Cub Foods security, Taylor was cited for fifth-degree theft, a simple misdemeanor.

http://www.iowastatedaily.com/articles/2007/04/18/news/20070418-archive3.txt

How about a couple of DVDs???

Suspended Hawkeye receiver Dominique Douglas pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree theft charge Tuesday after he reportedly stole three DVDs from Wal-Mart.

Officers issued an arrest warrant on Monday and took Douglas, 19, to the Johnson County Jail early Tuesday morning; fellow suspended sophomore receiver Anthony Bowman posted Douglas' $500 bond Tuesday morning.

Douglas' arrest comes after he was seen at Wal-Mart, 1001 Highway 1 W., on Oct. 11 taking three DVDs and trying to hide them under his shirt, Iowa City police said.

He walked out of the store without paying for them, but he was later identified by a MoneyGram he received from the service desk.

The total cost of the DVDs is $30.02, police reported.

Fifth-degree theft is a simple misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in prison and a fine of up to $500.

http://media.www.dailyiowan.com/media/storage/paper599/news/2007/10/31/Sports/Douglas.Guilty.In.Theft-3068470.shtml

Here's a case where the friend of a kid ("child") committed fifth-degree was ALSO charged.
http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8178


If you think it's OK to steal -- if the thing stolen is small enough -- then just how small would it have to be??

Try getting your legislature to make the change. Good luck.

:eyes:

[DutchLiberal]

190. I don't have to change anything. In my country we don't put people in jail for...

stealing a fucking brownie! It's candy worth of $1!! We are sensible enough to reserve prison space for *real* criminals. Our police wouldn't even answer a school's call if a brownie was stolen. They have more important things to do!

No, you can't compare it to stealing (multiple) expensive dvd's. I didn't say it's okay to steal, that's just you putting words in my mouth. I'm saying it's sadistic and not worth the money and time to put someone in jail for taking away a candy bar.

[treestar]

172. If an adult stole a brownie, it'd be just as minor

It's the nature of the crime here.

[JackRiddler]

193. An adult? Would have paid $2, apologized, end of story.

Schools exist to crush the souls of children, not adults.

[NashVegas]

48. No Different From Shoplifting

[Bucky]

53. The mom's response is kinda pathetic

The kid got caught and got consequences. What kind of parent makes excuses for their kid shop lifting? As Robert Blake taught all of us, don't do the crime if you can't do the time. No. Don't do it.

[saltpoint]

55. Plus, I'm entirely certain this is the first kid ever who swiped treats.

If we don't lower the boom on the sonofabitch, OTHER kids might think of swiping treats, too.

[Hannah Bell]

73. she didn't make excuses, she questioned the punishment. i do too.

"I was very surprised," Richey said of the charges against her son. "I think they're being a little extreme. A brownie costs about a dollar. I could see a few days or a week of detention, but charging him like this ... it doesn't seem right."

[JTFrog]

206. Not nearly as pathetic as your reading comprehension. Can you link to her excuses please. n/t

[saltpoint]

58. Trey and his classmates who wish to join him should be afforded

the opportunity to reverse this particular sweatshirt.

Say that he and 6 of his pals be given supervised instruction by the cafeteria staff in his school to make brownies for a local children's hospital or orphanage, or what have you.

They make the brownies. They enjoy the smell of the chocolate baking, etc. The supervisor is making sure things go right and that proper clean-up ensues.

A faculty or staff member drives these folks over to the orphanage or hospital, brownies in tow.

They present the treats to the kids therein.

It's a whole new world of brownies then. And more boats would be lifted than just Trey's.

[Fireweed247]

59. The kid was hungry??!!

Okay maybe if he stole a computer or was involved in bus vandalism like Track Palin, but shit the kid was hungry and didn't have two dollars. It is probably easier to steal a brownie off of the counter than pizza or something else. What the hell is wrong with people?

[wickerwoman]

63. Exactly. Context is everything.

How do we know the kid wasn't abused or neglected at home? Or his family wasn't just dirt poor? A pretty horrifying number of kids go to school hungry every day. I went to school with kids who stole things out of my lunch because they didn't get breakfast at home, their parents didn't give them money for lunch and/or the family was too proud to go on the federal lunch program. And they didn't go for the fruit and soup... they went for the high calorie, high fat things they craved the most. Frankly, they were welcome to them.

I hope this school does a little more investigation into the situation instead of just assuming this kid was stealing from the school lunch line for shits and giggles.

[woo me with science]

174. OBVIOUSLY HE WAS ABUSED!

REMOVE HIM FROM THE FAMILY NOW AND DO AN INVESTIGATION!

[gollygee]

67. That's possible too

We don't know this kid's circumstances.

[siligut]

72. It stinks to be used as an example, really.

If the kid had more aggressive parents or some community support, they probably wouldn’t have chosen to make an example of him.

[gollygee]

62. Call his parents, make them pay for the brownies, and put him in detention

Stupid. Everything in the world doesn't have to involve the police. Our tax dollars at work. Or the tax dollars of the people of Mason City, Iowa. I'd be at a city council meeting complaining about that waste of tax money if I lived there.

[Cronus Protagonist]

64. That was one Trey dear brownie!

...one too much. Maybe if he'd only stolen ONE he would have just got detention!

[saltpoint]

68. If he had stolen several dozen and lied about it, he would have become

a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient under the Bush administration.

[Evoman]

69. I say we go old school and cut his fucking hand off.

Then the other kids will have a visual example of what happens to thieves. Plus, he should have to spend a day in detention for every dollar spent on his new hand prothesis.

[Fire1]

89. LMAO!!!! Seriously, though, it's getting increasingly difficult to

distinquish liberals from conservatives, juding by some of the posts on this thread (along with two 'supposed' democrats who voted 'no' on the recovery plan!)

[frylock]

115. this place is getting to be more like freerepublic with every passing day

[JackRiddler]

124. 'Fraid so.

Disturbing thread!

[MagickMuffin]

97. Were they Pot Brownies?.?.?

Maybe that's why the charges were extreme.

[Runcible Spoon]

102. yeah the cafeteria is cookin' up some pot brownies

in the High School of my DREAMS maybe :rofl:

[gmudem]

103. What a joke.

They are BROWNIES. They probably aren't even that good either considering the high school cafeteria food. Anybody who thinks that this kid actually should be prosecuted is nuts and I'm assuming they live on High Horse Manor.

[nini]

113. whatever happened to detention and having to pick up trash in the play yard?

Now if this kid had a history of stealing things and wasn't learning his lesson - then perhaps more desperate measures should have been taken. This is over the top.

[frylock]

116. he's lucky he didn't tased..

and *ahem* GO LAKERS!!!!

[nini]

119. yah.. the little bastard! LOL

oh yea.. Lakers! The CEO here is a big Boston fan and was talking all kinds of trash before Christmas. He hasn't said a word since - hahaha

[frylock]

121. that game took the wind right outta their sails!!

:hi:

[nini]

126. agreed.. and I enjoy the fact they kept stumbling

neener neener...

:D

[Pithlet]

191. No kidding!

It's like teachers, even some on this very message board, have forgotten they exist. It's insane. It's a wonder they don't just affix jails right onto campuses.

[Are_grits_groceries]

130. I taught school for years and

I got tired of parents offering excuses for everything their kids did. However, I was gobsmacked to read that this kid had been arrested for taking 2 brownies. Unless he has the record from hell at the school, that is like going to Defcon5 at the first shot.

If I had a kid in class that was acting up for the first time, I could go to Defcon5. I could skip every means to deal with the problem with a lesser punishment and maybe clear it up. Or I could use that kid as my object lesson, and drag him through hell. Yes he is 15 and should have known better. He is a stupid goofy teenager who hopefully will grow out of this type of behavior if he isn't on Devil's Island. I taught that age, and most straightened up after level one or two. I rarely got to Defcon5.

I don't think those kid's learned anything except that the system is nuts. When I think of kids I wanted the police to drag out of a school I taught in, one is the sweet young thing who went down the hall lighting posters on fire with her Bic. The other students would have understood that. (They were scared of her too.)When the punishment doesn't seem to fit the crime, the students know it. If it does, they will bitch, but they understand. If it doesn't, they stay stirred up.

[saltpoint]

131. This case was likely turned over post-haste to the Special Pastry Theft Unit

of the Mason City Police Department.

And properly so.

Very frankly, you don't want a bunch of amateurs and rookies handling something like this. This is a red-button, top-drawer social menace kind of thing, and only a seasoned specialist in Pastry Theft will do.

[DutchLiberal]

140. nazi's

[yasmina27]

148. As an educator

I would say that this is not a first for this kid.

We've had several situations in our middle school of student theft. There are several steps of disciplinary measures that would be taken for theft before the police would be involved.

My guess is that this is not the first time this student has been caught stealing from the cafeteria. Yes, stealing 2 brownies is not a capitol offense, but if it has been an on-going occurrence, then the arrest would be appropriate.

[saltpoint]

150. Unless you know the kid, it seems to me that you have no idea

at all whether he has stolen food before or not.

I don't see how your being an educator hones your judgment on someone you've never met.

The kid might be an incorrigible monster for all you and I know. Or just as possibly, he might be a pretty decent kid whose judgment lapsed in this one instance.

Notably, the article expressly indicates that officials pressed charges to deter future transgressions and not as a consequence of a long-standing record by this individual student.

[yasmina27]

151. You're right

me being an educator doesn't give me special insight into the situation. The kid could be a total asshole

However I am speaking from personal experience, and as we all know, the media doesn't always present all the facts of the case.

I reserve full judgment until all the facts are made available, which is next to impossible, especially given the age of the child involved.

Which does NOT leave out the reasoning of the officials involved that this boy was being made an example of.

I am so tired of people always assuming the worst of the public schools and the employees thereof.

[saltpoint]

154. I hear you on waiting to see what information was omitted, if any, from the

account in the local paper.

At the same time, there is an alarming number of instances when school officials over-extend their authority and significant distrust ensues.

There is also a question of scale. A 15-year old kid in Kentucky brings a gun into his school campus and starts firing at other human beings. This 15-year old in Mason City, Iowa swiped 2 brownies.

The first instance is unpredictable and horrifying while the second seems entirely manageable at a level far below police intervention.

[yasmina27]

157. Thank you

I appreciate your understanding regarding the media.

Definitely this could be a case of school administrator-gone-wild. As a teacher, I find it hard to believe, but of course I don't know every school principal. Some ARE just power hungry.

[JTFrog]

189. The school resource officer said it was done TO SET AN EXAMPLE. There is no mention of punishment

based on past behavior.

[saltpoint]

152. So here's my question. Is the 5th-degree charge stable across

all settings of brownies?

For example, how about brownies with icing? If you steal iced brownies, is the penalty greater?

How about brownies with nuts?

How about brownies with nuts AND icing? Forty years to life?

We need to email the Mason City police department and get more information.

[New Dawn]

155. And people wonder why 25% of the world's prisoners live in the USA...

Even though we only have 5% of the world's population.

[Mind_your_head]

162. Idiocracy

and you who have millions/billions of your hard earned tax dollars WASTED! WASTED!!! every year, are fighting over - wasting your precious time and talent - talking about $2.00 brownies!!!!


BWAHAHAHAAHAAA! (the evil plan to divert your interest/talents has WORKED!!!! and come to total FRUITION!)

*suckers*

[riderinthestorm]

166. Ship him off to Australia to the penal colonies for stealing bread!!

Oh right... we're not facing economic meltdown ... and families aren't struggling to feed their kids ... and children aren't going to school hungry ... and the system is infallable and always looks at mitigating circumstances ... and blah, blah, blah.

Face it. We don't have enough info and until we do it's asinine to ASSume the facts.

[Blue_Tires]

167. too bad he didn't steal billions from a hedge fund -- he'd be a free man

after a minor talking-to

[eridani]

168. Hey! Officer Obie!

Are there twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against him?

[Strelnikov_]

173. Good One n/t

[saltpoint]

169. I suggest we mobilize a Mason City Relief Fund for the entire citizenry

of that town.

These are good-hearted, smart people out there and they know that if ONE 15-year old is stealing pastry from his school cafeteria, it could by god happen to ANY of their schools.

They aren't kidding themselves. They know what they're up against.

President Obama should issue a call for a national team of volunteer therapists, preferably a majority of whom highly skilled in pastry theft and its impact on close-knit communities. A generic treatment is likely to be ineffective. Experts only, please.

Bus the whole bunch of them into Mason City and let them actually live in the gymnasiums of the schools there, monitoring the emergency in-person and first-hand.

They would of course be available to the citizenry at large, who are doubtless shaken to the core over this unspeakable transgression against Goodness itself.

It's a bold test for the new president in Mason City's darkest hour.

[mockmonkey]

170. First it's Brownies

and the next thing you know someone is stealing the Strawberries...



There is a Key on this ship and I want it found!

[tblue37]

175. Heckuva a brownie job, school. nt

[spanone]

177. heckuva job, brownie

[Waiting For Everyman]

198. The comments in this thread are pathetic. It's no wonder we have problems

in this country.

I hope the RWers-in-disguise see fit to expatriate.

[Shardik]

205. tell me about it.

Sheeze. There are some prolific posters here that seem to want to put everyone in jail except for themselves.

[DutchLiberal]

211. Love your sig!

[killbotfactory]

207. You are truly nuts if you think this punishment is justified

Jesus christ.

[fascisthunter]

210. Authoritarians love Punishing Folks

Or at least children.... where's the outrage at the Bush Admin and the Dems who have enabled them? Ah fuck it... charge the kid for stealing two brownies. :crazy:

[saltpoint]

215. I don't recall being notably angelic when I was 15 years old.

In fact, I was quite a damn bit removed from 'angelic.'

Very few of the transgressions I committed against the decency of American life, however, required the intervention of police.

A clear-brained adult, speaking to me privately, directly, and consequentially, was the remediation of choice in my high school and neighborhood, and proved lastingly effective.

My objection to this Mason City school administrator who wound up phoning the local cops over this incident banks off the notion that it was no-dick overkill.

You don't persuade teenagers to become adults by acting more puerile than they do.

[TheKentuckian]

217. Child.Steal.Food.School.

That's a combination that makes me sick at the stomach. I'll tend to side with the kid when I have limited data. Probably the brownies were easier to swipe than the sloppy joe's. There will be more of this and that is probably the reason for the crackdown, you have to discourage these hungry buggers from running off with food. Nip it in the bud ya know.

Hungry kids in school have long been a problem and now there will be many more. Nailing "Oliver" to the cross for wanting more is an effective deterrent as any. How about we make sure kids have enough to eat before we crucify them for stealing a baked good? Maybe this was just a thieving prick that wanted free dessert but just as likely the child's stomach was growling and he had little to look forward to later.

If the kid is hungry then that is by far the larger crime. Hell, its a crime that a school is profiting off of their sales. How much can a damn brownie cost in that kind of mass .10?

Fuck us for not doing better to care for the innocent. Children, animals, and the elderly reside under our collective bus.