According to a recent Dakota County Criminal Complaint, a Henry Sibley High School senior was arrested and charged with a felony for forging and then providing thirteen students with fraudulent school parking passes for $75 less than the school’s price of $125.
From the complaint:
Between January 31, 2011 and March 1, 2011, the Officer identified thirteen vehicles in the parking lot of the school that were bearing what appeared to be fraudulent parking passes.
[...]
On or about March 1, 2011, the Officer, along with the Associate Principal, conducted an interview with each of the students using fraudulent parking passes. Each interview was conducted independently and each party interviewed completed a written statement. The Officer interviewed a total of eleven students. Ten students reported that they had purchased the parking passes. One student reported that he had found the parking pass on the hallway floor. Eight students reported that they had purchased the parking passes from Andre Charles Oliver, DOB 11-24-92. Two students reported that they had purchased the parking passes from Ritter. All but one of the students knew that the passes were fraudulent. Most of the students reported that they had purchased the fraudulent passes because they couldn’t afford to pay $125.00 per semester for a real parking pass.
[...]
The estimated loss to the school for the second semester is approximately $1,500. The total loss for first semester is unknown.
While the student profited from the sale of fraudulent parking passes, the county’s claim that the school lost $1500 for the second semester is quite a stretch. With a majority of students involved noting they could not afford $125 per semester for the real parking pass, it is unlikely they would have purchased a pass at all and those issued by the school would have went unused. Spaces being available to allow for the fraudulent users to park at the school leads credence to this claim.
What do you think about the county going about charging a senior in high school with a felony for making fraudulent parking passes? If we did not live in the post-Columbine world where every school feels the need to have a law enforcement officer(s) on site, do you believe the school would have bothered to have felony charges brought against the student? Do you think that this is a proper use of county/school resources? Whatever you have to say go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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August 23rd, 2011 at 7:29 am
Meh. May depend on his list of priors too. Are you suggesting the officer use discretion here? Or are you of the opinion that if a crime is committed, it should be charged? Arguably, whether the burden of proof of the amount of loss required to charge a felony is met is for the judge or jury to decide. In any event, if the kid has otherwise had no trouble, I can see this pleading down to a misdemeanor with restitution of some sort being paid. I just hope they are also charging the students who knowingly purchased and used the fraudulent passes.
August 23rd, 2011 at 7:48 am
The real crime here is charging $125 per semester to park in that dilapidated lot!!! (I stopped there one day last summer to take pictures of the ol’ alma mater for our class reunion and other than the parking stripes going a different direction than they did in the 1980′s, it hasn’t been upgraded a bit.) They never needed a police officer on site until open enrollment came along…
August 23rd, 2011 at 7:57 am
I don’t understand why the students have to pay for parking at all. Didn’t tax money pay for that parking lot? If the school needs more money, then they should have the courage to ask the taxpayers for it, rather than shake the kids down for more money. What’s next, charging the students for text books?
This mall cop wanting to charge a felony sounds like a combination of Napoleonic complex and needing more to do to keep him busy.
August 23rd, 2011 at 8:21 am
Call me clueless, but if the MN state legislature (read “no tax increase Republicans”) would do there jobs and stop their recalcitrant position, our schools wouldn’t need some of the ridiculous fees to make up the shortfall. That said, I don’t see this as a felony. I’ve done worse things to avoid paying exorbitant fees/charges. I just didn’t try and make a business out of it.
“This mall cop wanting to charge a felony sounds like a combination of Napoleonic complex and needing more to do to keep him busy.” Sean L’s has it right, must be the Triple Hot Salsa…
August 23rd, 2011 at 8:29 am
Apple Valley charges $80 per semester (x 3). There are options for those that don’t want or can’t afford to pay. “Sophomore Row” is just a short walk away. There used to be a lottery for juniors and seniors for parking passes, if any remained then the sophomores were placed in the next lottery. The lot was packed back in 2000 – 2005. Now, it is about 1/2 to 3/4 full. I think the price increased from $60 to $80 per semester. There is a lot monitor everyday at AVHS. And when you turn your form in for your pass, you must list all the possible make, models and plate numbers for the vehicles that might use the pass. You also can buy a daily pass for $5. Should they charge for parking? Probably not.
August 23rd, 2011 at 8:49 am
I agree that there really wasn’t a loss of anything. However, the kid was fairly stupid/greedy providing these passes to several students. Hopefully, he can plee to something lower, avoid jail and go to college where he can make even more money making fake ID’s.
August 23rd, 2011 at 8:51 am
What??? Back when I was a kid, we didn’t have fancy parking lots, much less cars to drive around in. Heck, I used to have to walk 7 miles in waist-deep snow. Uphill both ways! And I’d have to stop and milk old Mrs. Griffith’s cows on the way, all for a buffalo head nickel — 12 of them would get you a phosphate. Cherry was the best, but on Thursday’s I’d get lime because that was the day they’d have a hot breakfast in the cafeteria and lime goes better with the hot breakfast. Although in the summer, I’d skip phosphates for a few weeks and save up for a carton of crawlers from Ned’s to take down to Miller’s Pond to catch some sunnies for Dad’s birthday. Well, or a new baseball. They were $3 apiece and sometimes we’d all have to chip in. Except Ronnie McDougall from down the road. When his Dad was off in the war and his mom had her hands sliced off in the rivet shop accident, Ronnie had to spend his allowance on groceries on account of him being the only one around who could work. So Ronnie didn’t play ball with us which is why he didn’t have to chip in. But Billy Jones played, and one time he hit a foul ball into old Mrs. Timson’s yard and one of her coondogs ran off with it a chewed it up so we couldn’t play ball anymore, which was OK because it was October and it would rain alot in October. This one time, it rained so much, Ryer’s Creek flooded over and washed out the whole potato patch. The water washed the spuds clear down to the Johnson’s house, piled ‘em up like an old stone wall. The thing is, the Johnson’s were up at the lake, so it was two weeks before they got home and saw the giant pile of rotten, moldy potatoes. Have you ever smelled rotten, moldy potatoes? They’re like that paper factory up in Grand Rapids where my uncle Smitty used to work until he got a job with the DNR. That ended when he fell out of a tree trying to rescue an injured owl. Too bad about that. Uncle Smitty, not the owl because that just flew away and Uncle Smitty died. Weird how owls can fly with one leg dangling down below. Me, I’ve never seen an owl up close. One time I chased after one with my new Polaroid down on Grandma Bitty’s farm, but I went about 7 miles before I realized it was just one of those big hawks, not an owl. Then I got lost coming back and the County Sheriff had to drive me home. You should have seen the look on Grandma Bitty’s face when the Sheriff came up the drive with me in the back. But then she started laughing and made a strawberry rhubarb pie, and she was good at strawberry rhubarb pie because this one time in the Polk County fair, she won a blue ribbon. It was for jam, but she could make good pie too. I like jam.
August 23rd, 2011 at 8:57 am
Many job applications now ask if an applicant has been “charged” with a Felony, not just found guilty. So this kid’s future may already be compromised and the chance of getting a decent job, ever, no matter the education level and skill attained is seriously diminished.
Who could call that justice?
August 23rd, 2011 at 8:58 am
Someone find MSPD’s meds, or hide his booze. :-)
August 23rd, 2011 at 9:03 am
A high school resource officer.
August 23rd, 2011 at 9:05 am
Light somebody’s pet on fire and get a misdemeanor. This? A felony.
Fuck me.
August 23rd, 2011 at 9:11 am
Hah! They’re using the RIAA’s thought process for lost income. It didn’t make sense for them either.
Although what the kid did was pretty stupid, the charge seems pretty ridiculous.
Even impersonating an officer is considered a misdemeanor.
August 23rd, 2011 at 9:39 am
What happened to the honorable days where the small time criminals (the people who purchased the passes) lawyer up before they give up the kingpins who made them? If you want to do the crime, be prepared to do the time, or in this instance, buy a real pass.
The Ritter guy is the guy they want. His story is almost credible with the exception that he is alleged to have personally sold two of the passes. Oliver is the fall guy in this grand scheme. The patsy as it were.
Years from now, after the West St. Paul government has invested millions of dollars to uncover the multiple tentacles of Ritter’s criminal endeavors, finally identifying him as the mastermind behind the West St. Paul crime wave of 2021, the police will stumble upon this parking pass situation and figure out it could have been prevented ten years ago if they just had interrogated Oliver a bit more.
Free Oliver!
Free the WSP1!
August 23rd, 2011 at 9:50 am
I think the school should have to factor in the money they saved in wear and tear on the big yellow bus against the “$1500″ they lost (these kids would have had to get to school somehow).
August 23rd, 2011 at 9:53 am
Closet Carnivore,
Why couldn’t they just drive their cars and park elsewhere?
lefty
August 23rd, 2011 at 9:58 am
Lefty,
I wasn’t aware there was a lot / parking alternative. Still, my point was more that the $1500 school loss is hypothetical (I agree with what Bill says in the post… it is unlikely they would have purchased a pass at all). In the same way, the fact that they would have taken the bus is not necessarily true, but it could have been. Just doing my part to fight bad logic with more bad logic.
Closet Carnivore
August 23rd, 2011 at 11:40 am
So, is it a felony to forge hall passes too? Or just things that involve money? Lunch passes? I suppose those are scan cards now. Anyhow, I don’t understand what part of this makes it a felony…
Sometimes I feel bad for teens these days. Maybe this is part of why people don’t grow up until they’re at least 30 now…they are so over-policed that they can’t get the stupid out of their systems in time to behave like adults when they’re supposed to! Too much threat to their “futures” to step out of line at all. Ah, fond memories of screeching out of the BHS parking lot with the parking lot monitor (not a cop) yelling at us out of his car window…those were the days.
I’m a law-abiding citizen now, and pay for the things I’m supposed to pay for, but I still think that this is totally ridiculous and just another case of freelance tax-collecting (it seems we use law enforcement for that a lot these days!). This kid deserves a slap on the wrist, a congrats for his business ingenuity, and a little constructive redirection; not a ruined future.
August 23rd, 2011 at 11:49 am
$125/semester seems steep for parking, though I paid at least that much for parking in college so I guess it’s preparation for the future. “Nothing comes free in life” is a lesson that comes earlier and earlier.
August 23rd, 2011 at 11:54 am
Joey,
Students are mandated by law to go to secondary school and many do not provide transportation for students in certain areas, especially at the HS level. I think if they are going to mandate you be there and not provide transportation they should allow free parking.
August 23rd, 2011 at 12:05 pm
I think it is fine to charge for parking, especially when the spots are limited at the school. At Eagan, the seniors and juniors have first dibs on paying for spots and the rest of the people who either don’t get a chance to pay or don’t want to pay just park at the loser lot over at Northview Park for free and walk a bit.
I suppose there is a case for seniority to award free parking passes, but I suspect the revenue is so ingrained to the school budget by now it will never happen.
August 23rd, 2011 at 12:25 pm
@Lefty–the school is in Mendota Heights, not WSP. MH’s finest would be prosecuting. (Sibley moved to MH in 1972 and WSP is STILL trying to claim ownership…). I don’t know if things have changed socially there since the mid-80′s, but back then, one simply did not ride the bus after 10th grade. Very. Socially. Unacceptable.
That being said, I never had trouble finding a spot, but then again, I wasn’t running in the door at 8:14 either…
As far as ‘overfow’ or ‘offsite’ parking–I’m not sure if parking is still allowed on both sides of Warrior Drive now that there’s housing there.
August 23rd, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Looking at the statute, it does appear the youth was charged appropriately. I highly suggest getting a lawyer, a good one. If a first offense, the student should be able to work with the prosecuting attorney to get the charges reduced or held pending 1 or 2 years of good behavior with no similar charge. Then if no similar charge occurs, this charge will be dismissed, thus never appear on his record.
I agree the dollar amount is inflated, but that’s the way it always is with such things. Record companies still feel they were loosing millions of dollars to people using per-to-per systems to pull their songs down. The legal system doesn’t recognize that just because you have it for free, doesn’t mean you would have paid money for it had free not been an option.
There is always an alternative to parking some where you are not legally allowed to be. With the clearest alternative that you simply don’t drive to school, i know, shocking.
I think that charging for parking permits is ridiculous, but I can see the point. If you can afford to drive a car, you need to be able to afford the costs that go along with the car. $125 seems steep, I’d set it more to about 2 tanks of gas, figure a 17 gallon tank at $3.50/gal. Well, that’s about $120, so maybe it isn’t so steep.
When I started attending Rosemount high School in 1984 there were no fees. By the time I graduated in 1986 there were fees. You would think school systems would promote a car pool system, but they don’t.
August 23rd, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Mikeh,
My tank in HS was 12 gallons (still is) and back then I could easily get 3 months of driving two and from school on one tank.
August 23rd, 2011 at 12:52 pm
My high school didn’t have nearly the spaces in the parking lot for all the kids, so charging for parking was one way to deal with the demand. Also, we had a complicated lottery where you got points based on your need for parking. Car pools got extra points. I never had a car, but always paid for part of the permit of people who gave me rides to school.
And we had a police officer at school at all times. And we had a need for it. This was 15 years ago and I imagine the need is even greater now. Gangs, fights, drugs, child abuse, and theft were just some of the things going on in my suburban school on a regular basis. For a while car stereos were being stolen every day, so they gave the parking lot attendant a video camera to help catch the thieves. Within two days she was assaulted and the video camera stolen too.
August 23rd, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Hmm…I didn’t think AMC Gremlins got that good of gas mileage.
August 23rd, 2011 at 1:38 pm
my take is i don’t care about the ‘lost revenue’ for the school or the cost of parking. it’s your basic right from wrong. this product of our society (moron) knew he was wrong making the parking passes and charging his class mates $$. it is a felony and i hope he gets his a– handed to him. however, i do hope he learns a lesson and gets a reduced charge, which will happen.
bb
August 24th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
From today’s Star Tribune:
Backstrom added that he suspects the teens didn’t know felony charges could ensue from the activities they are accused of, and that it’s possible they could be eligible for a court-diversion program for first offenders. Participating in the program would spare them from criminal records if they accept responsibility and the consequences.
From lefty:
I think the kid that told the police, “You got nothing on me.” needs to change his tune.
August 25th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
On the one hand, making counterfeit anything is wrong, however I don’t think criminal charges should have been brought for making parking passes. Sheesh, make him refund the money. Do they sill have out of school suspension these days? Or is it straight to court?