Poor kid

[gsmax5]

There was a 17 year old African-American kid robbed a Dunkin Doughnuts of $167.

The next day, he felt remorseful, and went to the cashier, gave her a hand-written note, and returned the money. He was really ashamed, and tried to apologize, but the cashier rejected it and just used his returning as an opportunity to call the police and have him taken away.

I know apologizing/returning money doesn't make up for what he did, but that's really mean to call the police on him like that! He could have just stayed, kept the money, and gotten away with it (he escaped unidentified) but instead he dug up the humility to go back and do the right thing.

I also think that his arrest will have a negative effect on his judgement since he actually got into more trouble by doing what was right than if he had shut up about it (there is no benefit to confessing, after all, the law has no sympathy). I know the guilt he would have had if he didn't confess would be the worst punishment, bla bla bla, but it's still pretty bad that the cashier showed no sympathy.



[edit]By the way, here is the link:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/midwest/view.bg?articleid=1164772&srvc=next_article

 

[Thelema]

Talk is cheap when you get held up at gun point. He gave that poor woman the scare of her life. Imagine if someone mugged you in the street, would you be ready to let it go?

The kid was probably worried he was going to get caught and thrown jail over a few bucks and wanted to get out of it. I really don't think he found some morals and then was going to go off and become a monk.

 

[recluse]

Crime is a crime. He crossed the line by doing the robbery in the first place.

 

[Lea]

I can´t believe what you are saying, crime is crime. I agree with gsmax5, I think it´s disgusting what the cashier did. After all what crime, he returned the money in the end!

 

[gsmax5]

In elementary/middle school, I used to get in trouble a lot by merciless teachers, and I can tell you that there's really no worse feeling than being truly remorseful and then getting in trouble anyway.

I remember one day where I turned myself in for scribbling with a marker all over the desk. The teacher at least said thank you, but she still sent me to the principal even though I could have stayed quiet and gotten away with it.

The principal luckily didn't suspend me, but he still called my parents and put something on my record saying I was a vandal; he said he really didn't want to get me in trouble, and gave me all the "I'm Just Doing My Job" crap (I really hate it when people say that). Surprisingly, my parents didn't really care but I still felt like the worst person in the world.

The worst part of the incident wasn't that I got into trouble but that the teacher didn't care that I had the courage to go up to her and apologize.

 

[Beyondshy]

Talk is cheap when you get held up at gun point. He gave that poor woman the scare of her life. Imagine if someone mugged you in the street, would you be ready to let it go?

The kid was probably worried he was going to get caught and thrown jail over a few bucks and wanted to get out of it. I really don't think he found some morals and then was going to go off and become a monk.

Totally agree

 

[gsmax5]

Talk is cheap when you get held up at gun point. He gave that poor woman the scare of her life. Imagine if someone mugged you in the street, would you be ready to let it go?

If I was the cashier at the Dunkin Doughnuts, maybe I wouldn't have completely forgiven him, but I wouldn't have ratted him out either. He didn't have to come back, apologize, and risk being arrested. Plus, the cashier got all her money back anyway.

The kid was probably worried he was going to get caught and thrown jail over a few bucks and wanted to get out of it. I really don't think he found some morals and then was going to go off and become a monk.

OH COME ON!!!

I guess you could be right, but still, that's really judgmental.

 

[Elad]

What would letting someone get away with no consequences help? He needs them to learn his lesson, hopefully he doesn't get a harsh sentence.

 

[gsmax5]

What would letting someone get away with no consequences help? He needs them to learn his lesson, hopefully he doesn't get a harsh sentence.

If I was the judge, I would have probably given him something minor like probation (I'd look like an idiot if I didn't give a punishment for armed robbery).

However, even though he is legally entitled to a punishment, I honestly think (assuming he was sincere, and not apologizing to get out of being caught and arrested, like Thelema pointed out) he shouldn't have been punished at all, I think he has learned his lesson.

 

[recluse]

Sometimes you have to be harsh in order for someone to learn that what they did was wrong. Holding a gun o'r any other weapon at someone is wrong. I was taught that stealing, no matter how small the item is wrong.

 

[Morgan01]

you guys keep talking about holding guns and weapons but in the story he didn't say he robbed the store at gunpoint... was there any weapons involved?
Also..it wasn't like he robbed a bank of thousands of dollars or wasn't even $200 in some places that's not even a felony.
I feel like if I was the cashier I would probably not have done that.. but at the ame time she had probably already called the police at that point but I guess she could have dropped the charges.
I feel like they probably could have given him probabtion and community service ecpecially since he is a minor.. but I don't know you didn't really describe what his punishment ended up being in the end or how harsh the crime was so I'm not too sure.

 

[gsmax5]

you guys keep talking about holding guns and weapons but in the story he didn't say he robbed the store at gunpoint... was there any weapons involved?

He used a BB gun he found in his parents' home, I don't think you can kill someone easily with that, but I guess it looks like a real gun anyway.

I don't know you didn't really describe what his punishment ended up being in the end or how harsh the crime was so I'm not too sure.

I don't think he went to court yet, but:

"Holmes, was later arrested and charged with one count of aggravated robbery. He was taken to DuPage County, Ill., Jail and had bail set at $75,000 Thursday by Judge Peter Ostling."

 

[Morgan01]

He used a BB gun he found in his parents' home, I don't think you can kill someone easily with that, but I guess it looks like a real gun anyway.



I don't think he went to court yet, but:

"Holmes, was later arrested and charged with one count of aggravated robbery. He was taken to DuPage County, Ill., Jail and had bail set at $75,000 Thursday by Judge Peter Ostling."

yeah seems pretty harsh but it's not over yet. a beebee gun is definitely not a weapon I think, at least not that should send someone to jail. might still end up going easier on him a lot of times pleading guilty helps maybe they just wanted to give him a scare

 

[Thelema]

yeah seems pretty harsh but it's not over yet. a beebee gun is definitely not a weapon I think, at least not that should send someone to jail. might still end up going easier on him a lot of times pleading guilty helps maybe they just wanted to give him a scare

If an 8 year old points a water pistol that looks real at a cop, the cop will shoot that kid. So if he had robbed the store with the BB gun and a cop was outside, that kid could have been killed by that cop.

Then you have a cop that has to live with killing some kid over a few stolen dollars with a BB gun.

What if someone carrying a concealed weapon was in that store and killed the kid? That person has to live with it too and that kids family has to live with it.

Even if the gun isn't real, it doesn't make it so much better for all the people that didn't know it wasn't real at the time. He obviously used it because it would scare people and wanted people to think it was real at the time.

A normal person doesn't just decide to rob a store. That kid was probably a wannabe thug that was on a path of destruction. Wait 5 years and that same person could be in jail for double murder. (I'm assuming a lot)

 

[recluse]

It makes no difference that it was a bb gun, how would the victim know it was a bb gun?

I agree with Thelema, if he would have got away with it he would probably have done the same perhaps worse again.

 

[Morgan01]

It makes no difference that it was a bb gun, how would the victim know it was a bb gun?

I agree with Thelema, if he would have got away with it he would probably have done the same perhaps worse again.

because in the eyes of the law its not about how scared she was. he had no intention to kill someone with a bb gun. That's the weapon charge.. there is no "you have been charged with pointing a scary object at this woman"

no he shouldn't have gotten away but in general people usually get a lesser sentence when they turn themselves in or admit to the crime or give the court what they want, and that's probably what will happen. he's only 17 so nothing terribly bad will happen to him unless maybe he has a record already or something we don't know his history.