9-year-old arrested for stealing bunny

[MuddPrincess]

Friday, April 9, 2004 Posted: 7:21 AM EDT (1121 GMT)


NEW PORT RICHEY, Florida (AP) -- A 9-year-old girl accused of stealing a rabbit and $10 from a neighbor's home was arrested, handcuffed and questioned at a police station.

A Pasco County sheriff's deputy found the black-and-white rabbit, named Oreo, hopping around in the girl's living room, according to the arrest report. She was read her rights and taken away in the back of a patrol car.

The girl began to cry during questioning Tuesday. She admitted taking the rabbit belonging to another child, but denied taking two $5 bills and some change, according to reports.

Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll defended the arrest, and said if the victim of a crime wants an arrest, deputies are required to act if there is enough evidence.

Lori Ventura, the mother of the child who owns the rabbit, said the girl has been involved in other incidents and needs help.

The deputy could have taken a report and referred the charges to the state attorney, said Pasco-Pinellas Public Defender Bob Dillinger.

The girl was released to her mother from a juvenile assessment center about an hour after her arrest, which she said was scary. She also didn't like the deputy.

"He put one handcuff on me really tight," she said Thursday. In the patrol car, "He just stared at me in the mirror."

Is this really ness. to start teaching a generation of children how to abide by the law?? Or is this going to far?

[Lucid]

I'd like to think every parent would march darling child back next door with the kidnapped bunny and cash, make them return it and apologise. But every parent is not like that . I do not think it is going too far. Maybe she will think twice before she steals again kwim ?

[kingclick]

Not too far.

[Jewel]

It's ashame that it happened but given the girls history I think it was appropriate. If children are allowed to get away with things and suffer no consequences for their actions, in all probablity they will continue these actions and to a greater degree each time. If a child is "bent" towards this type of behavior you are doing them no favor by cutting them slack...

[Peanut]

It's a shame that it happened but given the girls history I think it was appropriate. If children are allowed to get away with things and suffer no consequences for their actions, in all probablity they will continue these actions and to a greater degree each time. If a child is "bent" towards this type of behavior you are doing them no favor by cutting them slack...

And the Peanut gallery is in total agreement. ;)

[JJRocker]

The article doesn't say anything about the girl being a potential flight risk due to attempting to flee or fight the officer in any way (hitting, kicking, scratching, biting, etc) so I think handcuffing her was over the top. Should she be taken in for questioning after finding the evidence of theft hippity-hopping around her house? Yes, but not that way. I'm not sure how those of you who have posted feel about discipling children via spankings, but if you are in fact against that mode of discipline because it causes bodily harm, then can you really say you'd be ok with someone clapping on a couple of metal constraints that might be placed too tightly and cause pain and bodily harm to your young child? If it were my child I would want someone to take her actions seriously and would get her the help she needed, but I'd be furious if I found out they handcuffed my 9 year old child if it she was going peacefully and not making any attempt to cause the officer harm or flee. All I can say is that now that it's happened, I hope it will make enough of an impact on the child for her to make some changes in her behavior. But if she's making it a habit to steal at that young age and has exhibited this type of behavior repeatedly, then it's probably going to take more than discipline to reach her. I think it would probably be beneficial to get her some counseling asap.

[Jewel]

I think that she just learned the hard way that this is what happens to people who steal. As far as causing her pain? They (the handcuffs) probably did. It will be something that I hope for her sake she will never forget....

[Peanut]

From the bit posted for debate:
Lori Ventura, the mother of the child who owns the rabbit, said the girl has been involved in other incidents and needs help.

The deputy could have taken a report and referred the charges to the state attorney, said Pasco-Pinellas Public Defender Bob Dillinger.

The girl was released to her mother from a juvenile assessment center about an hour after her arrest, which she said was scary. She also didn't like the deputy.

JJRocker then replied:
I'm not sure how those of you who have posted feel about discipling children via spankings, but if you are in fact against that mode of discipline because it causes bodily harm, then can you really say you'd be ok with someone clapping on a couple of metal constraints that might be placed too tightly and cause pain and bodily harm to your young child? If it were my child I would want someone to take her actions seriously and would get her the help she needed, but I'd be furious if I found out they handcuffed my 9 year old child if it she was going peacefully and not making any attempt to cause the officer harm or flee. All I can say is that now that it's happened, I hope it will make enough of an impact on the child for her to make some changes in her behavior. But if she's making it a habit to steal at that young age and has exhibited this type of behavior repeatedly, then it's probably going to take more than discipline to reach her. I think it would probably be beneficial to get her some counseling asap.

JJ--as you probably know--I spank my children when I determine it necessary. If my child had a history of "being involved with similar situations" I would have no qualms whatsoever with the police cuffing and hauling away my child. Since the Mother of the child picked up the 9 year old girl an hour after the haul off, I assumed she knew well what was happening. Even if she didn't, theft is still theft.

If either of my children stole a rabbit, I would most assuredly see to it that the rabbit was promptly returned ASAP. If my child showed a history of such actions, I would have already had her in counseling and would see to it she was not left alone and unsupervised enough to be ABLE to steal a neighbor's rabbit and leave it frolicking about in the house.

If the Custodial parent of the "criminal" knew they were hauling daughter away for bunny theft, good on Parent. Maybe this was an attempt to "scare the child straight". Maybe Parent(s) doesn't care or are unable to be there when child is behaving in such a manner as to be stealing things. Maybe Parent(s) is/are unwilling to play the "bad guy" and figured if Parent(s) allowed the "Big Bad Policeman" to haul Little Girl away, she would learn her lesson.

MY issue is parents who don't want to or are unwilling to parent. Being a GODD parent is one of the toughest jobs I have ever had. If the lesson "Thou Shalt Not Steal" had to be taught to my nine-year-old daughter in this manner, damned straight I'd let them cuff her and haul her off to "juvie". However, as you inferred and was inferred in the article, this was apparently NOT the first time such things have happened.

In my home, we draw a hard line with our children and some may think we are too harsh with our punishments (restrictions, for the most part) but they follow the logical consequences of our daughters' misbehaviors and solidify in their young minds the seriousness of the infraction meriting punishment. In my mind (and dh's mind) many of our neighbors try to hard to be their child's "Friend" and don't do enough PARENTING. Someone has to be the grown up in a home, after all. There are a LOT of sniveling spoiled brats on my street due to Mommy towing no line whatsoever with them and giving in to kiddoes wishes and desires, not carrying through with "threats" (ugh) and punishments once delegated.

So, anyway, is Parent(s) unwilling to be the adult in the home, or so disconnected to Daughter as to not be aware, or what? We may never know. Either way, I agree that if it made it to THIS point, it is time for someone else to step in, one way or another, and see to it that this child gets the help she needs in order to be a useful member of her neighborhood and society.

[JJRocker]

I agree that someone needed to step in, just not this way. The parents should have gotten a handle on the situation long before their little nine year old had to be treated like a criminal, an adult criminal at that. Yes, theft is theft, but she's a small child for goodness sake. One that perhaps has had no guidance whatsoever as to what is proper behavior. At the very least her parents haven't done right by her and sought help when they knew this was becoming habitual. I just think at the tender young age of nine, she may simply not know the extent of what her little thievery means. Nine short years on this earth is not a very long time in the scheme of things. I think the little child may be suffering for something the parents should have taken care of a long time ago. I got the impression they were aware that she has this habit. Why wait til the child has to go through something like this? I was a spanker as well, and I still wouldn't want someone strapping metal on my child and hauling her away like a common thug just to teach her a lesson, which may or may not even work depending on why she does this. I would hope that I would have gotten my child the help she needed early enough to avoid something like this if in fact it was an apparent behavior. I stand by how I feel, and thanks to you and Jewel both for responding :)

[Peanut]

You're welcome, JJ. Thanks for being respectful towards my opinion!

[Peanut]

There is a lot left untold in the story provided, I think, that would most likely affect everyone's opinions based on only what we read here. ;)

[JJRocker]

We can certainly agree on that Pea :) It really is hard to judge when you only know part of a story. I just hope that whatever happens, happens for the higher good of this little girl :)

[mom2burgess]

I tend to agree with Peanut. I can't say WHAT I would do in that situation, whether I would allow the cops to actually TAKE her or not, but I wouldn't mind for the cops to come to the house and even threaten to cuff her and take her to jail. I can remember being nine, somewhat. I think they are smarter and more aware of what they are doing than many people think they are!