Medal of Honor Monument Vandal Pleads

[El Tejon]

Heard it through the tilecrawler grapevine yesterday that one of the young men that vandalized the Medal of Honor Monument on the Canal Walk in Indianapolis last spring pled to Criminal Mischief as a Class A misdemeanor, 40 hours community service and several K in restitution with one year probation.

After all the outrage on THR last year, I thought you would like an update.  I'll provide a link when the media picks this up.

Here's the story when it happened March 2005:

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=3139133&nav=9TahY28g

[garrettwc]

I know it's a necessary evil. But given the catch and release nature of our court system, I am having less and less faith in plea agreements.

[El Tejon]

It is my understanding that the young man who pled may be the least culpable in this matter, i.e. not the brains of the outfit, a follower with some issues.

Under the circumstances (10K damage and that it was the MoH monument) 40 hours is a tasty deal!  I've done heavy Crim Mis cases here in Tippecanoe County where this stuff would go for at least 180 days House Arrest and 100s of hours of Community Service.  Marion County is a little different as it is nearly 5 times the size.

If I was pitching the case, I would have made him do the Community Service at Camp Atterbury or at the USMC recruiting center in downtown Indy.  Find an older E-7 or 8 and talk to him and explain what the MoH is as he is scrubbing floors with a tooth brush.  I'd also make him do a paper on one MoH holder and do an oral presentation to the court.

I have a suspicion that this boy was not raised with a father who should have taught him things like respect.  But that is a problem I see daily.  *sigh* Sometimes I think I should have stayed at the white shoe firm in Indy.

[garrettwc]

El T, that would be the best way to do it. Kid might accidentally even learn something that would turn his life around.

The lame social [ist] workers in the court system would never allow it though. Forcing him to learn against his will probably violates his civil rights

[Standing Wolf]

I have a suspicion that this boy was not raised with a father who should have taught him things like respect.

Fathers? Kids still have fathers?

[El Tejon]

A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle, don't ya know.