Grand Theft Bicycle
Saturday was my sister's boyfriend's graduation and also the first day of my son's grounding. Because he got detention at school (for saying "frickin'" to a teacher -- twice), and because he continues to get into trouble at school, we took his skateboards, bike, and DVD player away until his behavior improves. This was Friday, and he was to lose said items as of 12:01 a.m. Saturday. So I went out Saturday morning to remove the bike and apparently someone had beaten me to it. It was gone! Of course, knowing my own quasi-deviant child, I demanded to know what he had done with it and he flipped out. He thought I had already taken it. So we're trying to get to the graduation with him wigging out and I'm driving around the neighborhood looking for stray bikes (this is an $800 trick bike). Nothing. Today he went back to school, and around 11:00 I got a call from him saying that a girl at school had come up to him and said "I know where your bike is." She told him that a boy in our neighborhood (who has been trying to cause trouble for well over a month now) stole it and took it to another boy's house (also in our neighborhood, also a troublemaker and involved in earlier incidents with said first boy). Well, these two used to be friends with my son, and I always get contact information, so I whipped out the cell phone and looked up the boy's phone number and called his mother. I told her what I had heard (without naming names) and said that it was my understanding that the bike had been hidden at her house. Well, she knew. She said the first boy said he found the bike at the retaining pond. I told her that he knew damn well it was my son's bike, and described the bike to her and she said "yes, I can tell you that it is at our house." Of course, the boys by this time had taken the wheels off (why?) and so she was going to call her son and have him put the bike back together and return it this evening. Good. Except that she was not home. So what if she calls her son and he knows she is (and we are) onto him and he takes the bike somewhere else? Then I am really screwed. And out a $500 insurance deductible. And how is this kid getting into our yard (6' privacy fence...locked gate) and stealing bikes? I notice he didn't take MINE or my husband's. So I guess I have to give her until this evening, then if the bike is not back I will have to file a police report. That's felony larceny on the part of boy one, and KCSP on the part of boy two. Both carry felony penalties (I know, I used to work for the Public Defender's Office). I don't understand these kids. Or their parents. His mom acknowledged knowing that the bike was quite expensive, yet she bought into the "finding it at the retaining pond" story. Why? Wouldn't that create suspicion in itself? Or the fact that my son used to ride that same bike over to visit her son? Seems like it would strike her as at least somewhat familiar and bring up questions. So, fingers crossed that the bike returns (with all its original parts) tonight. Anyone know how to keep an unsupervised juvenile delinquent out of your backyard?
posted by ET at 12:24 PM
6 Comments:
My parents have had issues in the backyard even with the 6' privacy fence. In fact, since I've been blogging, someone stole the bouncy part of the trampoline. I will say, though, at least the mother is pretending to be cooperative. Stupid/blind eyed, but cooperative. She could have pulled the "my child would NEVER do that!" crap. My advice: either put good things away or only buy crappy things. I have very little in my apartment that I would be sad to see go. That's by design. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya. Let us know what happens.
See, that's the problem...when I put something on my back porch of my backyard surrounded by my privacy fence and locked gate, I consider that "put away." But you're right. People are assholes, and clearly they are going to need a drywall barrier (if that would even stop this kid) to keep them out of our stuff. Breaking and entering is breaking the plane of the boundary. For example, if you have a nice bike in your garage and you leave the garage open and someone walks in and steals it, that person has committed breaking and entering because s/he broke the plane by coming into the open garage. Do you think that kid would have taken a CAR that he found by the retaining pond just because someone left it there? Where do we draw the line? (Although he did not find it THERE to begin with.)
As for "nice things," I feel that at this stage of my life, given all the crap I have been through to get here, I deserve to have nice things. Without some little piss-ant kid stealing them. That being said, I did not buy the bike. It was a gift to my son from his father. I would never buy a 16 y/o an $800 bike...boys are just too hard on things, and at that age most do not have any appreciation for how much money $800 really is. I mean, whenever I tell my son I don't have any money he tells me to go to the bank. As if the bank automatically gives me money when I hold out my hand. That's how kids think anymore... even when I make him pay for his own $70 skate shoes, $120 skateboards and ridiculous other non-essential items. But he still does not deserve to have them stolen just because some kid is an asshole.
I'll keep you posted on the evening's events.
I do not disagree with the fact that you should have nice things. You own your own home. My reasoning was that apartments are (in my non-logic at least) broken into more often. And I'm in my 20s. And yes, it sucks that "put away" in the suburbs must mean in the fireproof vault.
Rachel, I told you I took that bouncy part of the trampoline. If you want it back your going to have to come get it!
You know what you need? A big black dog that you can control and that will have a mean bark. In this area everyone has a dog and a shot gun. Just a few months ago some guys broke into this house threw the front door. The guy woke up shot at him with his shot gun and then the burgler ran out the back door right into is big black barking dog. Needless to say the guy gave up and the cops took him away.
What is really sad is this area is not that bad looking of an area. Its not like the slums on the other side of the tracks or anything.
Now I know that this kid may not be this daring, but it sounds like hes not that far off.
Ruffian, about the mouse/cat... yes, I am a cat owner. But they are indoor only, so they don't go in the garage. They have killed two mice inside the house, though.
As for this kid, yes, he seems to have a big pair. Problem is he also has a big mouth, and now is facing felony theft charges. See next post for more details.
Rachel, yes, we have brought everything else inside. Unless he wants to steal the bistro table and chairs or the rocking chair... and I would not put it past him. I will be posting the fruits of today's labors on the "big blog" page.
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