Posted December 7, 200619 yr comment_5414842 http://www.wral.com/holidays/10467838/detail.html Child Arrested After Opening Holiday Gift Early What is the penalty for opening your Christmas presents too early? For one South Carolina 12-year-old, the penalty was arrest. A Rock Hill, S.C., woman called police and asked them to arrest her son who opened a Christmas present early after being told not to, the Rock Hill Herald reported. Police went to the house and arrested the boy and charged him with petty larceny. The paper reported that the boy's great-grandmother had specifically told him not to open his present, which contained a Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It was wrapped and lying under the Christmas tree, the police report stated. But on Sunday morning, the gift was unwrapped and the box was empty. So when the boy's mother found out, she alerted police, the paper reported. "He took it without permission. He wanted it. He just took it," the 63-year-old great-grandmother told the Herald. The women said that the boy lied to them at first, saying he was unaware of where the video game system was. After threat of calling the police, the boy apparently gave the toy back to his mother, the paper reported. But the upset mother called police anyway. Two officers responded and charged the child as a juvenile with petty larceny, although he was not jailed. The mother told the Herald that she didn't know what else to do with her son, so she called police. The paper reported she is a single mother and has been struggling with constant behavior problems from the boy. She said her son still showed no remorse when the police came. "I'm trying to get him some kind of help," the 27-year-old mother told the paper. "He's the type of kid who doesn't believe anything until it happens." She said he has shoplifted, stolen money from her, punched a police officer and is nearing expulsion from school. She told the paper that she hopes this arrest will be a wake-up call for her son, because she worries about getting a call someday telling her he's been killed. The mother plans to have her son placed with the state Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia at his court appearance, the Herald reported. I think this was a ridiculous overreaction, but honestly, maybe it's not a good idea to give a kid who is in constant trouble a brand new gaming system for Christmas.
December 7, 200619 yr comment_5414843 Obviously this was blatant misuse of the police force, but to be honest, I think it might help straighten the kid out.
December 7, 200619 yr comment_5414845 Ridiculous overreaction, obv. Heck, if the mom wanted to punish the son, why not take the system away and return it to the store for a refund, or simply give it away or sell it? That's probably like a kick in the groin to the kid right there. I'm normally not judgmental about age differences and all, but somehow, this whole incident (especially the calling of the police) doesn't surprise me considering the mom is 27 and the son is 12.
December 8, 200619 yr comment_5414850 Judging from the history, the mother is probably very poor at raising her son. The lack of a father makes things worse. I agree with the comment about taking the system away. For the sake of her son, I hope she actually goes out and learn how to be a good mother and ideally get into a stable relationship.
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