Idaho prosecutor: Arrest warrant for 9-year-old gum thief a mistake

Over a pack of gum???

And the case is still pending???

was going to apologize for doing such a thing to a nine year old over a lousy pack of guy, but noooo.

if you were caught stealing gum your parents would have you sweep the floor or wash some windows at the store...

They didn't seem to need the court to resolve the issue.

when I was 9. I stuck it under my dress. My Mom found out and marched me right back down to the store and made me apologize to the owner.

Never stole another thing, ever! I don't even try a grape at the grocery store to see if they're any good!

course that was along time ago. She actually ended up working in that store when she got in high school.

This kind of shit makes me ashamed to be an American; that some of
my "fellow US citizens" could be so petty, so vindictive, so mean-spirited
as to put a 9 year old through this kind of ordeal, over a fucking pack
of gum.

We are 50th in about everything important. And about the most red state in the union.

I bailed and jumped over the continental divide. Not all that much better here, but a little bit. I remember Cecil Andrus as Gov., I actually liked him.

I think a lot of him myself.

thought about those who weren't part of the LDS faction who now totally rules the state. And I was in favor of his efforts to consider the environmental treasure Idaho is as well. I would consider a return if someone similar were elected but right now we have to wait for butch to drop dead since he doesn't seem to think his reign is near ending any time soon. I may have to wait for Kempthorne and Sen. wide-stance to roll over too since they know me on sight and have a genuine negative regard for me. I know they aren't in office anymore but they are still major under the radar opponents of mine and any activity regarding my concerns in Idaho would surely come to their attention.

Worked his way into Republican party politics by becoming the party treasurer. If you can believe that.

Butch is hellish.

widestance that is. I recall he was making a presentation to my graduate class and he spotted me among the students. He decided to have us all introduce ourselves and tell what we were studying. I stated my name but lied - a little - about what I was studying. He glared at me while I spoke, from the point where I stated my name... because he already knew it and already had a serious hate on for me. All my fellow classmates looked at me and wondered why he was so interested in what I said. He kept glaring at me the whole time. I had mentioned to my prof. that I might not be well received. I think it may have been a factor in my not being able to form a committee for the doctoral program, which was why I left in the end.

Butch is an asshole at best, a vindictive and spiteful asshole.

Your take on Butch is entirely accurate.

a town that reminded me of the movie "deliverance". it was a one horse town running through a kind of canyon, with shacks built on either side and apparently mentally challenged people sitting on the stoops staring at me.

at least in memory.

From the mines. Poor goofs. Even if most go to school they can't speak the king's English.


It ain't. It don't. I seen. Them-selfs. Are typical.

The boy lives in the city of Post Falls. The courthouse is in the city of Coeur d'Alene. It's roughly 10 miles from Post Falls to the courthouse, and the family doesn't have a car.

The police chief in Post Falls says if his department would have known the situation BEFORE the kid missed two court dates, he would have provided them transportation to court. And probably if the prosecutor would have known the situation, HE would have taken care of the transport.

Any idea why they held the kid for 3 days? He seems pretty young for that kind of treatment.

http://cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_011f48ae-f809-5173-9512-c1cbf3ecd900.html

He was picked up at 8:15 pm on January 6, went to court at 4:17 pm on Jan. 7, and was released to his family at 6:08 pm on Jan. 7.

Some of my readers know this kid and his family; this is apparently not the first run-in that bunch, or this child, has had with the law. I'm really torn here: the crime was not huge and there were plenty of mitigating circumstances so a night in jail is really harsh...but what if it convinced him to get his act together once and for all?

Sounds like the kid could use some mentoring. Hopefully, a night in jail helped. Who knows?

Thanks for filling me in!

would mentor him?

apparently the kid and his family have some kind of reputation among the good white Mormons of that community such that holding a nine-year-old overnight in jail is considered just.

his family or the community where he lives, I thought a night in jail might "scare him straight," for lack of better wording.

I never thought the people who arrested him would mentor him. I was thinking maybe someone who had experience with juvenile offenders.

Peace.

in the press keeps saying he knows the family and the kid deserves it.

the family is poor. the law is an ass.

why was he held for days? why is there still a 'case' against him? he's a nine year old and it's a pack of gum.

He was only held for 22 hours; no idea where the "held for days" thing comes from.

bad and counter productive as arresting him for it.

only 22 hours. a nine year old.

This is not the first time he's stolen.

For a first offense...you're absolutely right, going through the whole court thing is overkill. For a repeat offense, they need to do something stronger than just telling him not to do it again.

A warrant had been issued for his arrest after two court appearances came and went and the boy wasn't able to attend either one.

and apparently the prosecutor thought it was ridiculous and counter-productive too


Post Falls Police Chief Scott Haug says the child missed court because relatives had no way of getting him to the courthouse.


poor, what a surprise

I went to jail when I was 14 for not appearing on a speeding ticket, that was 37 years ago but I remember it vividly.

They put me in with adults without batting an eye. Then, later on that night, around beer thirty, they brought in a woman who was drunk driving. The cops were yelling, "blow on that tube!" And the woman said, "blow it yourself, put your mouth on that filthy tube." And that was it. The cops started beating her and the cries filled the jail and the pounding of her went on for hours. I truly thought I had descended into a torture chamber. I'm not sure if my weekend in jail was good for me or not but when I went back to the judge he seemed displeased that I had adjusted to jail already.

I was walking with my girlfriend. That was 1978.

They must have had different rules then about mixing adults and teens but maybe there were no rules and they threw everyone in the tank.

til 16.

In Idaho back in the 70's. Its a backwards agricultural state.

Parents needed their kids to be able to drive tractors and pick ups for farm work.

For those of you who think it is ok for a 9yr be arrested and stay in custody for 23hrs - you are
as big a monster as that DA. Reading this comments on a supposed liberal site - Dayyyum.

Good work, DA McHugh. Good work.