Comments on: Burglary ‘Comes Naturally’ to Farmington Teens

By: Mikeh

Mikeh — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 16:00:25 +0000

The big problem with breaking into a home is that it is a felony and Minneosta State Statute 609.065 (Justifiable Taking of Life) specifically calls out that it’s o.k. to kill someone if you are preventing the commission of a felony in your place of abode.

Now granted, that is a big over simplification, as there are many other laws and judgements that require you to retreat if possible (though 609.065 doesn’t say that). The point is, some people are gonna have it in their head that if you are breaking into their home, they have every right in the nation to kill you.

So, it probably is not a good idea to be breaking into peoples homes. Teach your children well.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=609.065

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By: Constance

Constance — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 03:01:47 +0000

And I forgot to answer your question, Bill. I didn’t shoplift as a teen–I was a moralizing scold by that point, and scared of my parents to boot–and certainly didn’t break and enter. I got it out of my system early when I stole at about age 10 a small cherry snack pie that my mother declined to buy for me. It wasn’t much fun jamming that gummy thing into my mouth late that night in the dark, in my bed. And I remember sneaking into my neighbor’s unlocked house–only temporarily abandoned, as they’d gone into town to do buy some feed–with the express purpose of stealing a handful of those delicious carrot cookies Norma made. I was apparently a child of raging appetites.

Now that I think of it, I also pocketed a bunch of cool stuff like cosmetics and albums and t-shirts and even A TRANSISTOR RADIO!! that the kids who attended what I thought of as a rich city kids’ camp, where I had a summer job cleaning toilets, deliberately left beyond. I was amazed that they would just abandon so much good stuff. But it was definitely against the rules, and I knew that, so…yes, I too was a teenage thief. But apparently much smarter or sneakier than the Farmington Duo, as I never got caught.

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By: Constance

Constance — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 02:50:44 +0000

Well, biologically speaking, there’s nothing unnatural about theft. Humans sure do and have always done a heck of a lot of it. So strictly speaking, those two charmers are correct. And when I think back on the amount of shoplifting teens did in my little rural town 40 years ago, it doesn’t seem like much has changed except maybe the boldness of breaking and entering vs. stuffing something under a winter jacket.

My experience matches yours, Tim. I know years-past teenage shoplifters who would today be appalled to be reminded of what they did. I even know a couple of teenage break and entry thieves. One’s now an Ivy League college professor and one’s an attorney. Neither of which means they’ve changed their ways, I know (ha!), but at least now they’re legal.

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By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 01:52:00 +0000

Perhaps. But maybe not. I’ve been rather surprised at the number of people I went to school with who did really stupid things at that age (worse than this, in some cases) that turned out to be quite functional adults. Not all of them, granted, but more than I would have expected.

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By: Mikeh

Mikeh — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:33:28 +0000

sigh… I can not think of much else to say. I doubt these kids will ever be corrected, so I guess we’ll see how they turn out once their legal. I wonder if the police take bets on if these kids will be the new town trouble makers in their 20′s and 30′s?

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By: Chad

Chad — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:52:58 +0000

These children are shining examples of the future of our great country.

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By: lefty

lefty — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:53:10 +0000

Chris Johnston,

I think I agree with you after reading the article.

Shit, I think I would pay the two criminals ten bucks just so they would tell me where they did the deed so I could clean up after them.

eww

lefty

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By: ks

ks — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:39:06 +0000

No, 14 and 15-year-old kids do not “naturally” feel the need to steal. I put most of the blame on parenting, or lack thereof. I have a good kid who doesn’t steal and neither did I as a kid.

The craziest thing I ever did was TP Dan Lavelle’s house in 6th grade (if you’re reading this, I’m sorry. It wasn’t MY idea though..peer pressure at a sleep-over!)

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By: Chris Johnston

Chris Johnston — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:29:44 +0000

When I was reading this article I assumed that the comes naturally comment meant they were breaking into a house they thought was empty to have sex. Robbery I confess, did not occur to me.

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