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Updated about 14 years ago, 10/22/2010
Justice Served!
On Friday justice was served, and the little juvenile delinquent who broke into one of my rental properties had his day in court. To bad for him it didn't turn out so well.
Apparently the evidence against him was so overwhelming that he eventually pleaded "true" to the charges of criminal trespass and criminal damaging. I had a chance to testify and look his mom square in the eye when I spoke of how lucky this kid was that he didn't get shot.
I had worked out a deal ahead of time with the prosecutor. I had asked that instead of reimbursement for damages we could maybe work out some "alternative sentencing" for the kid. She was all on board with that, as was the judge. So the kid is going to be mowing my grass, shoveling snow, picking weeds, washing windows etc. at my rental house every Saturday morning for the next 10 Saturdays. I had requested that he and his mother be present at my rental property at 7 a.m. or "first light" every Saturday morning. There they will find a list of the chores he is to do each week.
I really wanted mom the "feel the pain" of this thing, that's why I requested she attend. The judge loved the idea, and along with the punishment he placed him on probation and the court will also be monitoring his attendance in school.
I'm actually hoping to spend a little time with the kid and teach him a little bit about tough love. I highly doubt he has a male influence in his life, so maybe some good can come out of all of this and we can get him headed down the right path.
People are going to great length these days to find a mentor in the RE business. ;)
In all seriousness, it's good to hear that he received his day in court. That's an interesting punishment that you worked out there and hopefully you both get something out of it. He'll learn something about hard work and maybe you can teach him a thing or two.
I wish you luck with that and hope it doesn't backfire by allowing the kid to spend even more time on your properties. :)
-Victor
Congratulations.
I hope it works out for you, the kid and his mom.
May I suggest a "reward" for him IF he completes everything without any problems ... something small but meaningful like a sports team shirt or a book.
Perhaps you could offer him "continued employment" such as more yard work in the spring?
Joe -
You're a good man...wish I could upvote this post 10 more times...
Most people would have been happy with (or even preferred) punishment or retribution for being wronged (hate to say it, but I'd probably be in that category as well)...it's nice to see someone willing to look for the win/win solution and willing to make an effort to implement that win/win solution...
Thanks for setting the bar higher for all of us...
P.S. - Agreed with Kevin that perhaps you can even find a longer-term benefit from the situation...
Originally posted by J Scott:
You're a good man...wish I could upvote this post 10 more times...
Most people would have been happy with (or even preferred) punishment or retribution for being wronged (hate to say it, but I'd probably be in that category as well)...it's nice to see someone willing to look for the win/win solution and willing to make an effort to implement that win/win solution...
Thanks for setting the bar higher for all of us...
P.S. - Agreed with Kevin that perhaps you can even find a longer-term benefit from the situation...
Well, things might have been a bit different had you asked me what I wanted the day after it happened. Fortunately I had 3 months to sit on this as it worked its way through the courts.
At the end of the day I thought back to my youth and all the stupid shennanigans I pulled. Granted I never broke into someones house but I did do some stupid teenage boy stuff. The only difference between him and me is I never got caught!
We'll see how it all turns out. Hopefully this is a turning point for him.
When I founded my RE investing company one of the missions I set for the company was to improve the communities where we invest. At the time I was thinking mostly about fixing up old houses and making the community look nicer, but maybe there is more to it than just that.
Originally posted by JoeinOH:
Apparently the evidence against him was so overwhelming that he eventually pleaded "true" to the charges of criminal trespass and criminal damaging. I had a chance to testify and look his mom square in the eye when I spoke of how lucky this kid was that he didn't get shot.
I had worked out a deal ahead of time with the prosecutor. I had asked that instead of reimbursement for damages we could maybe work out some "alternative sentencing" for the kid. She was all on board with that, as was the judge. So the kid is going to be mowing my grass, shoveling snow, picking weeds, washing windows etc. at my rental house every Saturday morning for the next 10 Saturdays. I had requested that he and his mother be present at my rental property at 7 a.m. or "first light" every Saturday morning. There they will find a list of the chores he is to do each week.
I really wanted mom the "feel the pain" of this thing, that's why I requested she attend. The judge loved the idea, and along with the punishment he placed him on probation and the court will also be monitoring his attendance in school.
I'm actually hoping to spend a little time with the kid and teach him a little bit about tough love. I highly doubt he has a male influence in his life, so maybe some good can come out of all of this and we can get him headed down the right path.
That's on of your best post. So you do have a heart of gold with your little bald head. Your a good man Joe! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Props to you my friend. Some would have rather saw the kid hang then that so it's good to see you have a heart of gold.
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Originally posted by JoeinOH:
I’m not sure I agree with the quote Joe, but I can see the script now...
Greedy landlord wronged by young neighborhood thug.
Bitter and obsessed, landlord vows revenge.
Meets and comes to understand youth and family at court appearances.
Suggests alternative sentencing to sympathetic judge and takes youth under his wing.
Landlord grows to learn the issues with growing up uneducated in a poor community and without a dad.
Befriends youth and family, selflessly becomes a role model, and inspires youth to excel in school and break the chain of poverty, further setting examples for others.
No Nobel Prize at the end.
.
.
.
I don’t know the record for votes Joe, but I hope you break it.
Originally posted by Jeff S:
Originally posted by JoeinOH:
I’m not sure I agree with the quote Joe, but I can see the script now...
Greedy landlord wronged by young neighborhood thug.
Bitter and obsessed, landlord vows revenge.
Meets and comes to understand youth and family at court appearances.
Suggests alternative sentencing to sympathetic judge and takes youth under his wing.
Landlord grows to learn the issues with growing up uneducated in a poor community and without a dad.
Befriends youth and family, selflessly becomes a role model, and inspires youth to excel in school and break the chain of poverty, further setting examples for others.
No Nobel Prize at the end.
.
.
.
I don’t know the record for votes Joe, but I hope you break it.
I cost more for the state to house an inmate for 4 years than it does to send that inmate to college...
Good on ya, Joe. I had a huge grin the whole time I was reading your post. Hopefully the kid benefits a little from the lesson.
Congratulations on getting some justice for the wrongs committed by this boy.
Without knowing the involvement by the mom in this situation, I feel compelled to be a buzz kill. I know there are plenty of parents who totally ignore their kids, or even encourage bad behavior. But as the parent of a less-than-saintly-behaved kid who's spent many nights trying to encourage appropriate behavior (tonight), laying awake worrying (Saturday night) and dealing with the legal system because of bad behavior, I really wonder if you've not put the screws to a mom who's doing her best with a bad situation.
I'm all for having your perp work off their crimes. But do you have some evidence mom is really at fault here? You've presented nothing in this thread that says she is. Believe me I "feel the pain" EVERY DAY of my child's behavior. If I could do something to fix it, I certainly would. Being dragged out at the crack of dawn for 10 Saturdays would hardly improve the situation. If a judge ordered me to do it, I would. But it would be right up there with punching me in the gut when someone's already ripped my arm off.
i think it is beneficial that all three of them get out there together, (even though john looks like he never did a hard days work his entire life) and do something, even if most of the time is spent talking. then john can try to see were the problem might be. by the mother coming out will show this kid the seriousness of his poor judgment.
if john feels they are sincere and are remorseful he will probably just say forget about it after a couple of weeks, but if there is an attitude problem....the next 10 saturdays they had better hope it doesn't snow!
Originally posted by JoeinOH:
Apparently the evidence against him was so overwhelming that he eventually pleaded "true" to the charges of criminal trespass and criminal damaging. I had a chance to testify and look his mom square in the eye when I spoke of how lucky this kid was that he didn't get shot.
I had worked out a deal ahead of time with the prosecutor. I had asked that instead of reimbursement for damages we could maybe work out some "alternative sentencing" for the kid. She was all on board with that, as was the judge. So the kid is going to be mowing my grass, shoveling snow, picking weeds, washing windows etc. at my rental house every Saturday morning for the next 10 Saturdays. I had requested that he and his mother be present at my rental property at 7 a.m. or "first light" every Saturday morning. There they will find a list of the chores he is to do each week.
I really wanted mom the "feel the pain" of this thing, that's why I requested she attend. The judge loved the idea, and along with the punishment he placed him on probation and the court will also be monitoring his attendance in school.
I'm actually hoping to spend a little time with the kid and teach him a little bit about tough love. I highly doubt he has a male influence in his life, so maybe some good can come out of all of this and we can get him headed down the right path.
Oh man kids these days let me tell you, If and when I was in my prime I would have totally refused to do this. I would have thought I was so bad ***, but you know I gotta give you the thumbs up for making that extra effort.
Also, you know what you should do....(Just like in the movie Gran Torino) Make the kid fix up your neighbors house/houses so that the whole block can look great and increase your value.
Originally posted by Jon Holdman:
Without knowing the involvement by the mom in this situation, I feel compelled to be a buzz kill. I know there are plenty of parents who totally ignore their kids, or even encourage bad behavior. But as the parent of a less-than-saintly-behaved kid who's spent many nights trying to encourage appropriate behavior (tonight), laying awake worrying (Saturday night) and dealing with the legal system because of bad behavior, I really wonder if you've not put the screws to a mom who's doing her best with a bad situation.
I'm all for having your perp work off their crimes. But do you have some evidence mom is really at fault here? You've presented nothing in this thread that says she is. Believe me I "feel the pain" EVERY DAY of my child's behavior. If I could do something to fix it, I certainly would. Being dragged out at the crack of dawn for 10 Saturdays would hardly improve the situation. If a judge ordered me to do it, I would. But it would be right up there with punching me in the gut when someone's already ripped my arm off.
I hear you John and can certainly sympathize with your situation.
However, in my situation the very next day after the break in, this kid was walking the sidewalks outside of my house sort of "casing the joint". Then when he saw me inside he pulled his shirt over his head so I couldn't get a positive ID on him. The day after that he was out doing the same thing.
Now, this kid was just hauled off by the police the day before, and the next day he is right back out on the streets? Mom didn't even ground him?
I don't know John, it's hard to say what's best for this kid, but I know one thing. He'll sure as heck remember working at my house for the next 10 Saturdays......more so than Mom paying a measly $100 bucks in restitution which was the alternative.
Congrats on taking the high road, but I hope you will watch your back during this whole situation. I have a friend who let a teen drive away without a police report after the kid rear-ended him, and now the kid's parents have charged my friend with hit-skip and menacing. He should never, ever have trusted that kid. No good deed goes unpunished. Just saying, be careful.