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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Girl, 9, âCuffed For Rabbit Heist |
| 2004-04-09 |
| A 9-year-old girl accused of stealing a rabbit and $10 from a neighborâs home was arrested, handcuffed and questioned at a Florida police station. Good, my guess is that the kid wil never try burglary again A Pasco County sheriffâs deputy found the black-and-white rabbit, named Oreo, hopping around in the girlâs living room, according to the arrest report. She was read her rights and taken away in the back of a patrol car. The girl began to cry during questioning Tuesday. She admitted taking the rabbit belonging to another child, but denied taking two $5 bills and some change, according to reports. "I think this is a little unusual to say the very least," Cecka Green of Voices for Floridaâs Children said. Sorry miss Green but this is definitely Burglary that could have been handled by the parents, can contribute to some problems with our kids in this society." Sheriffâs spokesman Kevin Doll defended the arrest, and said if the victim of a crime wants an arrest, deputies are required to act if there is enough evidence. "Somebody entered a residence without permission and stole money and a pet rabbit. Thatâs burglary," Doll told the St. Petersburg Times. "I donât know what other explanation you need. Nine years old is enough to know right from wrong." Lori Ventura, the mother of the child who owns the rabbit, said the girl has been involved in other incidents and needs help. Cecka Green does ignore this as most of the soft healers usually do The girl was released to her mother from a juvenile assessment center about an hour after her arrest, which she said was scary. Good She also didnât like the deputy. Very Good "He put one handcuff on me really tight," she said Thursday. In the patrol car, "He just stared at me in the mirror." |
| Posted by:Evert Visser in NL |
| #11 First of all, why, oh why, didn't they just have the parents give the bunny back?! I mean, what are they going to do? Officer: "You are under arrest for bunny theft. Put your hands behind your back, anything you say can, and will be used against you in a court of law." Oh, I know--(later in the interrogation room)-- Officer: "Now tell us. What'd you do with the grass!" |
| Posted by: FED UP 2004-04-10 12:39:41 AM |
| #10 One thing to remember, I think, is that juvenile law is supposed to be rehabilitative -- not retributive. IMO, this is the exception, as I generally disagree with the concept of the punishment of crime as rehabilitative -- except where juveniles are concerned. Juveniles are still forming their identities and behaviors, which can be shaped with proper guidance and support. Adults are âdone,â and studies routinely show huge recidivism rates, regardless of intervention strategies (with best results, IIRC, being with faith based initiatives). Just on the face of it, this is pretty pathetic -- a kid steals the neighborâs rabbit? That is a cry for help, and I hope she gets it. |
| Posted by: cingold 2004-04-09 4:15:53 PM |
| #9 You don't believe in M4D Korora? BTW saw first SOB Blue Jay today. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-04-09 4:07:37 PM |
| #8 OP: I wasn't making a "diagnosis." Sheesh! And thank you for making my day so much brighter by denigrating my intelligence, education, and level of expertise. Guess I'm not a "REAL" expert, as you put it, so I'll just share some more uninformed, nannering idiocy now, and save the sock for later. True, we don't have all the facts of the case, but what she did indicates that something more is going on than merely "testing limits." The fact that it was a rabbit that she took, would, in most, but not all cases, point to the loneliness factor--trouble at home or at school, or maybe in the neighborhood. Kids who are testing limits, normatively, at this age, typically steal things like candy bars or small trinkets from stores, often in pairs. That's a different dynamic. In those cases, a big "scare" from the police usually is enough to steer them in another direction. In more complicated situations, though, a huge intervention like that can make things worse. The fact that there also is something habitual happening with this little girl, indicates cause for concern because her actions fall outside the natural scope of boundary, and boundary enforcement, explorations. You may argue that she keeps doing things because she's still testing limits and hasn't gotten her answer yet. Well, why does she have to keep testing limits? What's going on in her life that makes that a recurring theme? Beyond that, we don't know anything--you're right. There are many things that could be happening, which is why I posed the question in the first sentence. (Heck, maybe the lady's kids are being mean to her and she's fighting back, or maybe they were being mean to the rabbit. Or maybe she likes the lady and "knew" the lady would help her, somehow, if she just took the rabbit.) It sounds like the lady who called the police may have wanted to get authorities involved for the little girl's sake, rather than to punish. But, as you pointed out, getting her help through that avenue will depend on the quality of help available through the Social Services department. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-04-09 2:56:33 PM |
| #7 "Let's not tell M4D about this incident." Seeing as muck4doo is a running joke from one of IMAO's satires⦠|
| Posted by: Korora 2004-04-09 2:10:25 PM |
| #6 Let's not tell M4D about this incident. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-04-09 2:04:36 PM |
| #5 man this left wing political correctness bullshit has gone too far. no child that age should ever (unless murder) be treated like this. what happened to the good old days when neighbors actually talked and settled petty things like this. i am surprised and a, I must say, a little ashamed at the pro lock up the little girl responses. come on people this has gone too far. |
| Posted by: Dan 2004-04-09 1:15:42 PM |
| #4 Ex-lib -- put a sock in it. There's not enough information here to make a good estimate of what's going on, much less even an attempt at diagnosis. One of the things I learned about early childhood development from some REAL experts is that children that act like this are looking for LIMITS. They need them, they strive for them, and they keep seeking them. Stealing is one way they try to find where the limits are. Notice how senseless the crime is - she stole a very obvious object - a pet rabbit - from her NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR! She expected to get caught. This young lady pushed the limits expecting to get caught, and when she did, found that it can be SCAREY crossing them. That's a GOOD thing - she may not test those limits quite so hard again. She was frightened, but she wasn't harmed. It's that old "Cause-->effect" thing in action. It's also a good thing, because NOW the cops have a legitimate reason for putting Mom under the microscope (notice there's no mention of a dad...), and for bringing Social Services into the picture. That can be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the quality of social services in Pasco County. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-04-09 1:12:33 PM |
| #3 Book 'er Danno. Bunny burglary one. |
| Posted by: Mr. Davis 2004-04-09 12:29:50 PM |
| #2 Think about it--if a third-grade girl steals a rabbit, (we're talking a rabbit, here) --what does that say about what's going on in her life, in her home, at school? According to my training (in Early Childhood Education/ and because I'm a mom), red flags are going up. Obviously the child is desperate and lonely, ("Lori Ventura, the mother of the child who owns the rabbit, said the girl has been involved in other incidents and needs help.") Unhappily, she has just learned that she can't trust authority figures, thanks to the way the cops handled it. (Handcuffs are okay as a general policy--it's the intimidation I'm thinking about). Hopefully someone else in authority, with a brain, talked to her about what's going on. She's obviously shouting out for help, and is most likely a victim of child abuse. (Duh.) Hey, mucky! Until she gets this straightened out, better keep your gerbil under lock and key. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-04-09 12:18:22 PM |
| #1 Bet they have written policy, everyone that gets arrested gets cuffed. That takes the burden off arresting officer, he can't be accused of favoring one suspect and abusing another. Plus, some of the most dangerous perps look like innocent little choir boys. Everyone cuffed saves cops lives. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-04-09 11:35:55 AM |