Teen facing 2 years for killing hamster

[Star*]

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-hamster-death,0,4212820.story

(I was going to post this under NEWS) but this is the first story I have ever heard of any difficult child being jailed and looking at serious time for killing a family hamster. Maybe the jails and courts in NY are working differently - this judge didn't seem to be playing.

Mods - feel free to move post.

 

[DammitJanet]

Ok....this is just idiotic! I hope this is a prank story or all of us are going to jail for setting up mousetraps.

 

[AnnieO]

Did they do an autopsy?... I'm sorry, what she did was wrong, but the description of the actual injuries was a little too much...

 

[TerryJ2]

Yup, looks like an autopsy to me. Who paid for it?[The hamster died from blunt force trauma, liver damage and a brain hemorrhage, he said. ] Nice family. The sister suspected her sibling her killing *her* hamster earlier in the day.Remind me not to get to know them.

 

[DDD]

Geez that's what our underfunded services need..another kid who probably has an unmet need (no doubt due to poor access of support services) starting off a line on incarcerations for animal cruelty in lieu of counseling. DDD

 

[Steely]

Geez that's what our underfunded services need..another kid who probably has an unmet need (no doubt due to poor access of support services) starting off a line on incarcerations for animal cruelty in lieu of counseling. DDD

Exactly, this is pathetic...............OMG

 

[Hound dog]

Ok. I get that this act was sooooo not right and should not go unpunished for the cruelty, but 2 yrs? Really?

That's waaaaaaay out there isn't it? I mean I've seen people torture (not kidding talking real torture not fit of anger stuff) dogs for years and get away with a fine.

I'm a hamster lover........but c'mon, let's be serious. There are criminals who walk for much more serious crimes than this. geez

Our system is so broken.

 

[skeeter]

I do know of a incident here where kids were bragging at school about what they had done to a cat. My son was working at our local vet at the time, and that vet did free things for the SPCA. The SPCA dug up the cat and brought it to the vet for an autopsy - so yes, it is possible that there was one done on the hamster.

What they did to the cat was bad enough that they wouldn't let one of the vets into the autopsy room - they were afraid she couldn't handle it. The vet with the most experience was the one that performed it.

I know one of the kids did stay at Juvenile for a bit over this particular case, not sure what happened to the others involved (there were 4 kids total).

 

[Lothlorien]

We've had people just outright shoot dogs here and not gotten a sentence of two years. Heck, we've even had people who have gotten off in two years for killing someone. Something's just not right about this story.

 

[slsh]

Loth - I agree. I think there's much more going on here. I'm not inclined to blame the system so quickly for not providing services, since how many of our 19-year-olds are willing to access services? If this were one of our own CD board families going thru this, I think our responses would be different. The fact that the potential consequence for this crime seems so severe... well, I have to give the family the benefit of the doubt and wonder what other heck they've been thru with- this kid and what they've already tried.

 

[Star*]

Could this be.........(just throwing out for considertion of conversation)

That in a domestic violence situation ----and SC is working on legislation -

That when an animal is harmed in a home - that the home is ALSO investigated for domestic violence. ????

Maybe the judge felt that this girl needed INTENSIVE 'in-jail' therapy? for witnessing domestic violence in her home at some time in her life and that the hamster was just a ruse to get her into counseling? ?

 

[HaoZi]

Have to wonder if she has a sealed juvie record and has been before this judge before, too.

 

[Star*]

That thought is a good one........