08 May 2013

Shameful Conclusion

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this incident that happened not too very far from the Refuge. Long story short, kid went shooting over the weekend and left the gun in the car, took the car to school, realized what had happened and called his Mom to come and get it. The call was overheard and the kid was expelled and arrested.

Sure, the suspension was itself suspended so he will graduate on time, but he still faces charges...and in North Carolina they are felony charges. There is a chance that he won't be on that stage for his graduation because he will be behind bars. The time to celebrate will be if the outcome in court is positive (he's scheduled for a hearing on May 16th).

The shameful conclusion that I have reached is, if you have done something wrong don't say a damn thing to anyone (a lesson that criminals and politicians already know...but I repeat myself). If he hadn't called his mother no one would have ever known the gun was in the car. Denials, lies and obfuscation gets the rewards, trying to do the right thing gets the punishments.

This is not really the lesson I'd like to teach my kids.

5 comments:

RabidAlien said...

This has got to be near the top of "dumbest felony charges of all time" list. Just goes to prove the old saying, no good deed ever goes unpunished.

Armchair Quarterbacking time, he should probably have used obscure phrases (I've got some stuff in the back of my car that I need you to come get NOW, from that thing we did this weekend where we had a blast...). The person who overheard the conversation and turned the kid in really needs to mind their own frikkin business. Or meet the Jose Conseco Baseball Bat of Wisdom.

Larry said...

Dumbest felony charge? Yep, we gotcha covered here in NC...

http://www.ncgunblog.com/2010/10/20/laws-of-north-carolina-that-need-to-change-part-8-larceny-of-pine-straw/

Since many of these laws are passed as a knee-jerk reaction, you just have to wonder what the back-story is to that one...

Thanks for dropping by RA!

RabidAlien said...

Man....growing up in south Georgia, I know folks who would pay someone to come take the pine straw from their yard! I don't know of anyone who harvested it or used it for any sort of money-making enterprises. It makes for a good fire-starter, that's about it.

Larry said...

They use it for landscaping here, like mulch, but seriously...who had to steal pine straw from whom to make it a felony in NC? Someone jack the guv'ners pine straw?

RabidAlien said...

No kidding. The East Coast is pretty much one big pine forest, at least in the southern regions. Happy camping tip: rake up a decent bed of pine straw and place your tent on it (ensure no sticks or pinecones). Makes for a comfy night's sleep! Covering the pile with a small tarp helps eliminate those pointy bits.