Child Arrested for Opening Christmas Present Early

[LunarWeaver]

December 5, 2006 - In a shocking display of parenting prowess, a Rock Hill, S.C. woman reportedly called police and had them arrest her son after he was caught opening a Christmas present early. After receiving the call, police arrested the boy and charged him with petty larceny.

The Rock Hill Herald reported that the child's great-grandmother had warned him repeatedly about opening his present early, protestations that he apparently ignored. The present in question was a Game Boy Advance.

"He took it without permission. He wanted it. He just took it," the 63-year-old great-grandmother told the Herald.

When the boy's mother found the package lying unwrapped and empty under the tree, she immediately approached the child, who proceeded to lie to her. After threatening him with calling the police, the boy apparently returned the toy to his begrudging mother, who then called the police anyway. Although he was not jailed, the two officers responding to the call did charge him with petty larceny.

The boy's mother told the Herald that she had reached the end of her rope with the child, and no longer knew what else to do with him. She claimed that she has been struggling with his constant behavior problems for a while now, and could no longer handle his misconduct.

"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."

According to the boy's mother, he had already been caught shoplifting, stealing money from her, and punching a police officer. She told the Rock Hill Herald that she hopes this arrest will put a stop to his errant ways, because she is worried about his safety. The newspaper reported that the mother plans on having her son placed in the custody of the state Department of Juvenile Justice in Colombia at his court appearance.

Zing Zap Action! (http://wii.ign.com/articles/749/749361p1.html)

Personally, I think if her kid was so out of control there shouldn't have been a present to open early in the first place. It's possible I'm an evil person, but I found this funny actually :shifty:

[I Took the Red Pill]

I'll marry this woman.

[Flying Mullet]

I like what happened. Parent's are too lenient with kids these days anyways.

Why, when I was a kid...

[theundeadhero]

I agree with these actions in every way :)

[Shauna]

That's great. The kid deserved it. :D

[Bunny]

Future Death Row Inmate!

[Flying Mullet]

This explains why Manus was mumbling about hating his mom and losing his GBA...

[NeoCracker]

I can't comment.

[Clouded Sky]

I can't comment.

Is she even going to give you that GBA for Christmas now? Going to be a lot of sitting and waiting in court. It'll come in handy.

[NeoCracker]

There wouldn't have been a problem if the wench just gave me my dam game boy.

[LunarWeaver]

I'd only get arrested over a DS myself, but to each his own corncracker.

This article makes me feel a twinge of guilt, because when I was younger I was entirely obnoxious about opening at least one present early. I knew that if I bugged my mom enough she would crack and let me do it. I just had to have that Final Fantasy one day earlier than I would have anyway. Oh well, at least she never threw me to the police over it.

[Clouded Sky]

There's some pretty good GBA games out there. So I don't blame you corncracker. But at least hide the packaging? Don't leave it out in the open. And when your mom confronts you with it, might as well give up the game. She's got proof. Don't lie, silly.

[Hambone]

That's really funny! How old was this kid? Which game boy advance was this? Original, SP, Micro?

[Clouded Sky]

That's really funny! How old was this kid?

Corncracker's 19.


Which game boy advance was this? Original, SP, Micro?

Yeah, which was it?

[Bart's Friend Milhouse]

He could have just gone to Virgin and played it for free

[Little Blue]

Personally, I think if her kid was so out of control there shouldn't have been a present to open early in the first place.

QFT.

This story is so funny! The kid got just what he deserved, in regards to being arrested.

[Martyr]

Which game boy advance was this? Original, SP, Micro?

Yeah, which was it?

I hate how news reports never answer the really important questions. They just rundown some summary of events that the writer thinks is interesting and then it's published. When will anybody learn that writers don't know what's interesting?

As far as the matter at hand, I think that this was quite an interesting technique for trying to solve this child's discpline problems. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like it worked. I'm impressed with the woman's cretivity.

On the other hand, perhaps this is an example of the fact that the woman is insane and a bad mother and that's why her kid is such a maniac in the first place.

[black orb]

>>> This is a joke right? If not then shame on the police for wasting time in supid crap when they should be out arresting real criminals and shame on the parents for resorting to the police to educate their own child..

[ff7+ff10 gurl 100]

Wow...what the heck is the world coming to? :eek:

[Little Blue]

I think its perfectly valid. If some kid went and stole presents from under someone elses tree they'd get done for stealing (not to mention breaking and entering if they need to break in). But considering the kid had a history of punching cops I would've expected the kid to be locked away by now.

[Mitch]

In NZ a 14(ish) year old kid got the same deal from his parents after he went for an illegal joyride. But when he was in the police van with all the other hardened, fully grown criminals, he got beaten to death.

[nik0tine]

wtf @ everyone who thinks this is okay.

[oddler]

It's cool in the fact that it's the law and he broke it. Break the law, get arrested. That's the way it should work. Stupid kids. Definitely not stupid cops. Sure, they have things that they need to watch but would they really need to watch anything if there weren't Kwazy people like that kid? Stop 'em young, I say.

[RiseToFall]

That cheapskate bitch at least could have bought him a DS.

[Savern Volaco]

I am amused I know have a basis Idea for a story ...thanks LunarWeaver and I grew up from eight I never wanted a bloody thing I just wanted to well bel left alone so I could enjoy some quiet and I only got one present up until I was ten and I never complained even though we was rich. I usually asked for cloths or somthing and its illegal in my world to get arrested on christmas in my world. also at 19 christmas+gift+cops+mother(cause)+story on news papers=Messed up but amusing. plus 19 is he still living with his mother? if he is then he deserved it.

[Jess]

I'd just not give the kid the Gameboy. I bet he still gets it, and he'll have learnt nothing. :jess:

[Moon Rabbits]

This makes me lol.

[Venom]

Are parents so lazy with parenting these days they need to hire the police to do it for them?

[Shlup]

wtf @ everyone who thinks this is okay.
Why isn't it? Even I think it was okay and I think everything most parents due is wrong.

Though I would have to know more about the mother's parenting to know whether or not the issue was really just her.

[Roto13]

Well, the "great grandmother" is 63, so odds are we're dealing with white trash here.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Whoa, having him arrested for that is way out of line.

And I think that just goes to show that she cannot handle her own child.

I agree with Arucard.

[Old Manus]

At least he got one surprise at Christmas.

[Madame Adequate]

Well, the "great grandmother" is 63, so odds are we're dealing with white trash here.

'Zactly my thoughts.

Also, this is hilarious, but it's pretty messed up too. I mean, if he's going off the rails, okay, get the cops in if you really have to. But this was not the straw that broke the camel's back by any reasonable measure.

[Eiko Guy]

Ok that makes no sense to me. If i had a son that opened a present early i'm not sending him to jail that would destroy our relationship. I know if i had that happen to me i'd rather live on the street than with a B**** like that

[Vermachtnis]

Why didn't she just spank the little brat and call the cops and take the GB away from him.

I remember this story about this mom who sold her son's 360, but kept the box and filled it with coal. Wrapped up the box with Coal and placed it under the tree.

[Little Blue]

At least he got one surprise at Christmas.

LMAO!!!

Anyway, it does kind of sound, outlaw, that the mother son relationship wasn't that rosy to begin with since, for example, he stole money from her.

[LunarWeaver]

plus 19 is he still living with his mother? if he is then he deserved it.

Wait, I may be confused (I usually am), but are you saying you think he's 19? The article doesn't say how old he is. The mother is only 27, so that's not too likely unless she gave birth to him when she was 8 years old. In which case I'd probably be more impressed than anything.

[Yamaneko]

There is no wrong or right here. This is just good old fashioned comedy.

[~*~Celes~*~]

plus 19 is he still living with his mother? if he is then he deserved it.

Wait, I may be confused (I usually am), but are you saying you think he's 19? The article doesn't say how old he is. The mother is only 27, so that's not too likely unless she gave birth to him when she was 8 years old. In which case I'd probably be more impressed than anything.

He took you guys seriously when you said it was Corncracker :p

I happen to think it was the right thing to do if the kid has a criminal history. If the kid were just some average little boy who does nothing wrong, I'd suggest placing the mom and great-grandma in the mental hospital.

[LunarWeaver]

plus 19 is he still living with his mother? if he is then he deserved it.

Wait, I may be confused (I usually am), but are you saying you think he's 19? The article doesn't say how old he is. The mother is only 27, so that's not too likely unless she gave birth to him when she was 8 years old. In which case I'd probably be more impressed than anything.

He took you guys seriously when you said it was Corncracker :p

Oooh, I gotcha now. I'm a little slow on the ball it seems. :grover:

[Evastio]

Why's everything so messed up now? :(

[The Unknown Guru]

The thing that really catches my eye about this is the 63-year-old great-grandma. Still, calling the police on your friggin great-grandson? Just take away the present or something. Learn to be a better great-grandmother.

[Rye]

el oh el parents that cannot parent on their own and waste the time of cops that should be doing serious work and saving lives.

I'm all for parents actually teaching their kids a lesson, but christ, the cops aren't nannies.

[Psychotic]

I hope the cops beat him with their billy clubs. Police brutality is awesome.

[nik0tine]

Why isn't it? Even I think it was okay and I think everything most parents due is wrong.Because he didn't commit a crime. There's a difference between actually commiting a crime and 'technically' commiting a crime. Opening a Christmas present early isn't a crime, at all, period. If the mother wanted to get the police involved to scare him that's one thing but he was charged with a crime. That's ridiculous.

I also think she should have waited for him to do something that actually resembled a crime in some way before she called the police, but that's just me.

Edit: Normally I think these kinds of things are funny, but for some reason or another I don't in this case. Not because I disagree with what happened, but it just genuinely didn't laugh. Dunno why.

[Ashley Schovitz]

Just plain stupid the parent obviously doesn't know how to raise a child I knew she was a young mother 27 mm mm.:choc2:

[Vincent, Thunder God]

That's completely overdoing it. She has to find better ways to discipline her child, and calm down as well. Why follow through with the threat of calling the police after he gave it back too? Bad parenting.

[Monster Hunt]

Hahahaha.

This is priceless. The police, the mother and the guy is stupid! :)

[Mirage]

I wouldn't call the police, that's just a waste of their resources which could be used to get real criminals instead. It is not the polices responsibility to raise a child.

I would definitely punish the kid in my own way though, such as a significally reduced amount of christmas presents.

[Polnareff]

Because he didn't commit a crime. There's a difference between actually commiting a crime and 'technically' commiting a crime. Opening a Christmas present early isn't a crime, at all, period. If the mother wanted to get the police involved to scare him that's one thing but he was charged with a crime. That's ridiculous.

I also think she should have waited for him to do something that actually resembled a crime in some way before she called the police, but that's just me.

Exactly, it was his present, so he wasn't technically stealing it. Calling the police was stupid, and the police were even stupider for arresting the kid for opening a present early. She should have called them when he actually did something worthy of jail time.

In this case, all the kid did was whine and then when he didn't have his way he opened his present. That's all. And it still doesn't qualify as stealing/invading privacy/whatever since it was his to begin with.

I'd say the mom should have been arrested way before the child was. I mean, if this kid was indeed "messed up in the head" then no doubt it's because of his mom. :rolleyes2 People put way too much blame on kids these days.

[Nominus Experse]

There is really nothing I can do but inwardly chuckle after reading this article. The whole situation, including the people involved, is strangely humorous in that sad and pathetic way...

[DarkLadyNyara]

Why isn't it? Even I think it was okay and I think everything most parents due is wrong.Because he didn't commit a crime. There's a difference between actually commiting a crime and 'technically' commiting a crime. Opening a Christmas present early isn't a crime, at all, period. If the mother wanted to get the police involved to scare him that's one thing but he was charged with a crime. That's ridiculous.

I also think she should have waited for him to do something that actually resembled a crime in some way before she called the police, but that's just me.


I agree. Aside from the "charging a kid with a crime for something so petty", I find getting the cops involved in this out of line. Like the cops don't actually have, ya know, other responsibilities. This is ridiculous. :rolleyes2

[GeneralSapphire]

the kid desreved it, but i didnt know the police would arrest someone for something so..well something so silly!

[Little Blue]

Aside from the "charging a kid with a crime for something so petty"

That would be why he was charged with petty larceny :p.

Sure, it was a waste of resources, but who's to say the police would've used that time productively anyway...


Exactly, it was his present, so he wasn't technically stealing it.

So you can never steal from your parents? You can. An example is breaking and entering while parents are away on holiday and taking their tv and a ton of other stuff. Its happened to my aunt and I think her son got community service for it, or 3 months in jail. I can't really remember the specifics.

[ShunNakamura]

If I recall right the present is still the property of the giver until it is given(Christmas day in most cases). Thus, it was not his. And thus he did indeed perform petty larcenry.

Anyways a crime was committed so the police were indeed just doing there job. Still this is pretty hilarious just because at face value(before looking at the law behind it) it sounds absurb :p.

[DarkLadyNyara]

It's absurd regardless. This is a discipline problem, not a law enforcement one.

[ShunNakamura]

Well a crime had been committed.. and if the one who the crime is commited against wished to involve the law then it is indeed a law enforcement problem. Maybe I just got a bit simpler view on it, but it doesn't seem absurd to me if cops are called in in response to an illegal action, even if it is a minor one.

[Mr. Graves]

I agree with nic0tine. I've opened all my presents early and my parents didn't mind. They never saw the point in waiting for gifts, and frankly neither do I, so this case has my shaking my head more than anything. The kid's initial past shouldn't have been a factor, either. I think both the parents and police are at fault really; this act doesn't really constitute larceny to me.

The idiocy of some people never ceases to astound.

[abrojtm]

This is perfectly legitamate. The mother is right in seeking some kind of help. The child shows several signs of anti-social personality disorder in which the symptoms include "Inabilty to tell right from wrong" and "No feelings of remorse." These symptoms are often evident before the age of five.
Opening a Christmas present is one thing, but shoplifting, stealing money, and violence are much worse.


failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest
deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure
impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated fights or assaults (both physically or mentally)
reckless disregard for safety of self or others
consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain steady work or honor financial obligations
lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another

[fantasyjunkie]

Hey, the kid never listened, the mom got tired of his crap and literally laid down the law. I'm behind her actions 110%!

[Darth Anarcus]

Things like this make me want to leave this backwards planet and attempt to single-handedly colonize the moon.

[krissy]

Things like this make me want to leave this backwards planet and attempt to single-handedly colonize the moon.

budding?

[Little Blue]

Things like this make me want to leave this backwards planet and attempt to single-handedly colonize the moon.

All you need to do is take a brief glance at present governments to realise that's the best course of action. I personally plan to go beat NASA to Mars.

[Dr. Casey]

plus 19 is he still living with his mother? if he is then he deserved it.

Yes, not everyone is "cool" enough to move out the second they turn 18, especially if they're not going to college and don't want to settle for an apartment. You do realize how expensive things can be and how difficult it can be to get a good job, right?

Anyway, the kid should get in trouble once he does something serious again. Not for this. He shouldn't become the only kid in the history of the US justice system to be prosecuted over opening a present early.

[Captain Maxx Power]

You want to know the most shocking part of this story?

63-year old great grandmother. Sweet mother of Jebus, that's an average birthing age of about sixteen in this family!

[-N-]

We touched on the white trash aspect of this story already.

[Polnareff]

So you can never steal from your parents? You can. An example is breaking and entering while parents are away on holiday and taking their tv and a ton of other stuff.

That's something completely different. In that case he was stealing his parents' stuff, not something that was technically his. Although I really could see your point, if, say, he stole one of the presents intended for his mom or something.

That's why it's the parents' responsibility to keep their kids from opening presents early if they don't want them to. Getting the police involved was probably the dumbest thing a parent could do. Now she's probably gotten the kid a criminal record, and for what? All because she couldn't discipline her own child.

[Loony BoB]

That's why it's the parents' responsibility to keep their kids from opening presents early if they don't want them to. Getting the police involved was probably the dumbest thing a parent could do. Now she's probably gotten the kid a criminal record, and for what? All because she couldn't discipline her own child.
The kid already had a criminal record. This wasn't much compared to the other things he has against his name. Read the full article!

Mother shouldn't have bought a bastard like him a gift like that, though. Shoulda waved it in front of his face and sent it off to the local orphanage. That'll learn 'im.

[escobert]

haha BoB that would smartin him up xD

[Fatal Impurity]

I'm just wondering why he wasnt arrested for the serious crimes he commited.....maybe his great grandmother should of brought him up!

[krissy]

she was too busy still bringing up his grandma