POST FALLS, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho prosecutor said he made a mistake requesting an arrest warrant for a 9-year-old boy held in custody for three days after being accused of stealing a pack of gum.
Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh said Monday that his office should have instead sought a child protection investigation that would have led to a more informed decision.
“I have concluded that my office’s request to have an arrest warrant issued was a mistake under the circumstances,” McHugh said in a statement filed after a weekend in which the boy’s arrest gained widespread attention. “I regret this having taken place and will do everything in my power to avoid this type of mistake in the future.”
First District Court Judge Lansing Haynes authorized the warrant requested by McHugh’s office after the boy twice failed to show up in court.
Post Falls Police Chief Scott Haug said the child missed court because relatives had no way of getting him to the courthouse. The child was taken into custody on Jan. 6.
“He was not treated like an adult, and simply given a ride to the Juvenile Detention Center,” Haug told the Coeur d’Alene Press (http://bit.ly/1AbFcEC). “No officer wants to do this. It’s unfortunate that it got to this point.”
Haug said security video involving the arrest can’t be released because it involves a minor.
The boy was held at the juvenile detention center until being released Friday after a court hearing, the newspaper reported. McHugh said the case against the boy is pending.
McHugh said efforts had been made to enroll the boy and his parents in a diversion program, but they missed court dates.
“Had we known (the missing court dates) was a transportation issue, we could have gotten the child a ride to court,” Haug said.
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Over a pack of gum? There isn’t a pack of gum for sale that could equal the amount of money that was wasted for this entire endeavor. You want to teach him that there are consequences to actions, and that stealing is wrong fine. Issuing warrants, having court dates, actually going to pick up minors? Come on.
IKR? Millions and millions of little kids have to learn lessons about property and boundaries the hard way, after a trivial theft executed by kids who don’t know they suck at stealing. I was one of them, once. My punishment was to have to take the balloon I stole back to the store and apologize to the owner (who, with hindsight, I now realize was making a noble, but not entirely successful, effort to maintain an appropriately grave countenance).
I’m suspecting that there may be a store owner who insisted on pressing charges who’s the real asshole here.
Did they ask if he had transportation? Three days in detention for stealing gum seems a little harsh. Maybe it was a lot of gum. On the other hand we are talking about Idaho. It could have been worse.
The prosecutor is a Jackass. The Judge is a Jackass. But the most egregious people involved in this farce are the Jackasses who elected these two buffoons into office.
Why on earth should any citizen have respect or confidence in the Law with men like these guiding the system?
Ridiculous is a word that utterly fails to capture the myriad levels of Stupid displayed by these officials.
The common sense gene has been nearly bred out of our species.