OT "Kids" and their "TOYS" (No humor involved) UPDATE!!

[20cows]

I live in a small town, less than 3000.

We have some lads that made a really fun “toy”. No one in authority has seen it yet, but I speculate that it is some form of a dandy slingshot that can be easily shot from a car. It shoots hand-sized rocks accurately and much harder than can be done by hand.

A few weeks ago they took out the plate glass window above the high school front door and it went through the inside glass door after that. The front door is a good 30 yards from the street. A week later they took out classroom window at the junior high. I have seen holes in some closed businesses on a side street.

Then it got personal.

On the first Thursday of the summer between 9 and 9:30 am, they took out the back windshield of my wife’s minivan. The glass was completely shattered and the rock was just behind the front seat. (There went $450!) We called the police and were told we were number 4 that morning. They had also center-punched one through an elderly neighbors spare bedroom window. It was shot hard enough to put a hole in the sheetrock on the far side of the room.

Everybody knows just about everybody else, so it’s only a matter of time before they get caught. Sooner would be better than later.

UPDATE: They hit me again!!

They got the passenger window of the Maverick.



It was a really big rock.



This was in the middle of the day again.

This is personal.

[TedH]

Little bastards.

They could easily kill someone launching a fist size rock into a home.

[Ysabel Kid]

That kind of ballistics could easily kill someone if struck in the head, especially the very young or old. This should be printed up in the local news with pictures of how much the projectiles are penetrating, and a plea for information to stop these hooligans before they do something they will regret the rest of their lives.

I'm hoping this is harmless fun by kids too young/stupid/inexperienced (BTDT - we all have) to know better. Caught with a nice stiff punishment - making restitution to all parties, lots of community service, etc. should do the trick nicely.

I hope your community can do so (catch them) before they end up hurting someone.

[BenT]

That sucks ! Kids like to talk . It's just a matter of time before they get caught. Even in a town as big as 3000 . Our town pop. is 1200.

[jnyork]

Little jerks could really hurt someone with that!! Keep us posted, really curious about the construction of the "slingshot".

[O.S.O.K.]

If I were the law in that town, I'd be looking at the patterns and installing some wireless cameras in likely spots.

[Old Ironsights]

Not gonna condone wanton property destruction... but when I was a kid living in a town of about 3000 we used to play with nitroglycerine scraped off of old dynamite found in old mineshafts... that and launch metallic sodium (&/or Lithium/potassium) into one or another stock pond just for the heck of it.

[runfiverun]

looks like your locals need to do a little profiling.
3-4 young males 17-20 years old. it may raise a few hackles around town.
but they would catch them a bit quicker.

[rjohns94]

I am sorry to hear about this. Another indication that this new generation is just not aware or the possible ramifications of their actions, or just don't care. I do remember breaking a few windows when I was young with a sling shot. I felt so guilty, I went home and told my dad and then went and paid for them. We had a rash of people throwing rocks off overpasses into cars. Deadly pranks.

[kimwcook]

We had some kids throwing rocks off a highway overpass. One hit a windshield right in front of the driver causing her to roll her car. Dangerous, dangerous game. I hope once caught they get a good one from the magistrate. Here they'd just get their hands slapped and possibly a short educational stint in the local juvenile center. When I say educational, they'll learn how to do other illecit things and what to do to make it harder to get caught.

[JReed]

Sounds like its time for someone to get out the leather belt and educate some punks.

[Ysabel Kid]

Sounds like its time for someone to get out the leather belt and educate some punks.

+1. Had I done anything like that - that could endanger others - I would have had my rear end tanned something fearce. That is what is wrong now - not enough fear in the hearts of our young. None of them develop a good sense of right and wrong early enough - or a conscious - or the ability to consider the consequences of their actions (and heck, half of the so-called adults these days don't have any of those abilities). A healthy fear of what would immediately happen to you kept a lot of young bloods in line until these "higher order" thought processes kicked in.

The kids don't need juvie hall - they need to pay for the damages, then be embarassed daily for several months to rub the lesson in. Community service is a good idea. I'd chuck in the parents for a little of that punishment as well - just to teach the lesson that we are, as adults, responsible for our kid's behaviour - and mis-behavior - until they are of age.

[wm]

Reminds me of the old saying....'Its all just fun & games until someone gets knocked over, knocked down or knocked up.......and then there is hell to pay!'.



Wm

[GANJIRO]

There were 2 similar incidents here in the islands (stupid things "bored kids" do).
One on the east (Hilo) side of the "Big Island" of Hawaii a few years back a group of "bored kids" would ride around in pickup trucks at night tossing large rocks into the wind shield of on-coming traffic (this was a rural area) and they thought it was fun and games until they killed an elderly lady one night. Wasn't too long before they caught the culprits small town talk being as it is.
Other incident happened here on Oahu, Honolulu (with it's miles of freeways) involved again "bored youths" having nothing better to do but drop rocks from freeway overpasses onto passing vehicles.
I was never bored when I was a youth, surfing, fishing, hunting, hiking, spearfishing, just to name a few. Then again there was no such thing as Nintendo, X-Box, and PSP when I was growing up.

[20cows]

BTT Update.

[Jaguarundi]

Well there is something to being tried as a ADULT-Little turds !

[J Miller]

20cows,

Don't forget the three S's.

Joe

[Bosco]

The boys probably have one of those three man water ballon launchers. Not cool. Full restitution paid to all parties at the rate of one dollar per hour of community service worked would be a good start.
Bosco

[Ysabel Kid]

The boys probably have one of those three man water ballon launchers. Not cool. Full restitution paid to all parties at the rate of one dollar per hour of community service worked would be a good start.
Bosco

I like that idea. I would add that what they really need is a good ol' fashion trip to the woodshed - regardless of age.

[Rusty]

They need to put the parents in jail as well. Just for not knowing what was going on.

[TedH]

Dang! That's a big ol' rock to launch through the air. I hope the police will soon stop those punks. When they do catch them, I think a good caining is in order.