My gosh: 4 teens arrested, more charges to come?
It was a lead story on my TV station tonight, and on a couple of my competitors too, and it's not the kind of news we want to be known for. Here's a link to FOX 4's 6pm video story and a separate link to a text story. It's not pretty.
Four teens, three from Flower Mound and one from Lantana, have been arrested for what FMPD says was a spree of some 30 related crimes over the past two months, including burglaries of homes and cars, and arson and weapons violations. A police spokesman told us that four other teens are under investigation, and that those cases will be referred to the district attorney.
Police say that most of the stolen loot has been recovered, and that they don't believe the teens were trying to fence it. So what turned our Flower Mound neighbors into criminals (according to police)? Summer boredom, getting kicks?
posted by Chip Mahaney @ 11:46 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
I doubt they just recently turned into criminals, they just got caught. Sorry to say, but look at the parenting. I know that will be an unpopular comment!
It was a parent who turned them in, though - Horary for him!!! Finally a parent who lets his kid suffer the consequences for his own actions.
Note that this has been going on for quite a while... And the Police did NOT catch them through good detective or patrol work, they caught them because of a tip from a CITIZEN.
That proves my earlier points that police cannot do it all alone, even if they tell you that they can - If inexperienced kids can operate in Flower Mound unimpeded, then so can professional crime rings and gangs.
It's only a matter of time before Flower Mound has the same problems that Carrollton, Plano, McKinney, and other once-peaceful towns have now.
In a column of the Dallas Morning News:
Teens accused in long theft, vandalism spree
Mayor Jody Smith is quoted as saying that she knows two of the teens, and "These are not lowlifes of society, these are bored high schoolers."
SHAME ON YOU, Jody, for defending these delinquents in any way whatsoever.
I do not want our public officials excusing major property destruction and theft - I don't care if Jesus Christ himself did it.
Bored teens play video games or hang out with friends or at the worse TP
someone's trees - These teens destroyed people's property, and could have caused the death of bystanders or firefighters in the case of the burned vehicles.
By the way, some of these are offenses that Texas law allows homeowners to use deadly force to stop - Teens need to be advised of that for their own safety.
Oh, my gosh! BORED high schoolers?!?!?! Give me a break! This is a comment that excuses the behavior. How absurd!
I read Jody's comments in the paper too, but I had a very different reaction. I don't think Jody was in the least bit excusing or defending what these kids did. I think she was merely stating that she knew a couple of them, and that they were considered good students.
Rather than bashing the mayor for what she said, my question is how can these "good" kids go off in such a bad way, time after time?
In the end, the big picture in all this is that these kids and their families are our neighbors, for better or worse.
Yes, they are our neighbors and these acts can and do happen anywhere and anytime parents are too busy to know where their kids are, or are too timid to set and enforce limits. I respect the dad who realized his son was doing something wrong and took action.
I am disturbed by repeated comments I've heard expressing amazement that such things can happen in Flower Mound or Lantana.
Are we supposed to be immune from problems that less affluent communities encounter?
I'm sure the Mayor did not intend to excuse the teens actions but I am curious about her use of the term "lowlife". Webster's online give this definition of the term:
1 : a person of low social status
2 : a person of low moral character
The Mayor can be a powerful influence on more than just economic issues and I hope she and other town leaders will champion support and guidance for parents in our community. We can never assume that the blessings of affluence should equal perfection in all things human. Parenting is the toughest job there is. I raised two kids and the joys and the problems had nothing to do with where we lived during their teen years.
lj
These good kids can go off in such a bad way time after time because their parents are not taking the time or energy to do whateve they need to do to ensure that they are on the right track.
Even if Mayor Smith didn't intend boredom as an excuse, I still think that by not explicitly condemning the actions of these kids, she implied a dangerous permissive attitude which could encourage others in this town who are already prone to do things like this.
Mayors, like Governors and Presidents, sometimes need to talk bluntly even at the risk of offending some people (who probably need to be offended for their own good anyway).
I think a tough stance is called for in this situation to deter other teens from doing this, and I think she should issue a press release condemning these actions with no wimp-outs this time.
Deadly force? Right - Check case law Charlie
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