Drug Kingpin Arrested At Mason High School (Warren: to buy, legal)

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Briolat21

I can't believe the prosecutor says he's going to prosecute this kid as a Juvenile. I'm sorry, but the kid has the intelligence and savvy to be involved in this for YEARS, clearing 20K a month, and having 3million in inventory waiting to be sold...

and you think he is just a young kid who doesn't understand the gravity of the crime?

And this isn't about whether it should be legalized or not. Personally, I think its stupid that its illegal. However, that doesn't make what this kid did less serious.

I think some speed limits are stupid too, that doesn't mean I expect the cops not to give me a ticket if I do get pulled over. Or that when I was 17 and got a ticket, I expected it to be less serious because I was a kid.

This is not a kid who got caught holding a dime bag and gave some to his friends.

This is a kid who was essentially running a criminal enterprise. Do I acknowledge his intelligence and entrepreneurial skills - yes.

Do I think a quick stint in Juvie is going to actually teach him anything about the fact that what he did was wrong??

Lets see -- 20K a month (that's a quarter of a million a year) versus a few months in Juvenile.

hmmm.... I can be rich through illegal activities, but this few months with a bunch of burnouts has totally taught me that is a bad thing. I will stick with legal activities from now on that pay a lot less.

Sure. I'm certain that'll do the job.

I just really dislike Warren County sometimes, and this is one of them.

I agree with everything you say, especially the running of a criminal enterprise. I too believe he should be tried as an adult as he was engaged in adult activities. Warren County is just inconsistent in how they approach criminal cases.

Even if pot were legalized, it should be treated like alcohol, you must be 21 to purchase, government monitored production taxed to the hilt, etc.

The government did me a big favor in getting me to stop smoking tobacco, which I had done for many years. I always knew it was harmful, but did it anyway. Finally the government found the answer, tax it to the point I would not stand the hit on my wallet. For awhile we could circumvent some of the cost by buying from the Indians over the internet. When the government plugged that loophole I told the wife we are done, we quit, this is rediculous. She reluctantly agreed and we just went cold turkey, going on 3 years now. The other day I was getting gas and noticed a sign in the window Marlboros - $5.31 a pack. A PACK! I remember not that long ago when I did not pay $5.31 for a carton.

There are those who compare Marijuana to alcohol, and always want to cite Prohibition. And I agree there are many parallels. The gangster era of illicit liquor is like an American folktale today. But back then it was serious criminal activity. I also assume there are some moonshine operations going on today, but it has been a long time since I read anything about it, which tells me it is probably insignificant.

I will admit to sampling some moonshine years ago - wow nasty stuff! Had absolutely no finesse, just burnt like fire all the way down. Ended up in the kitchen sink in my grandmother's house just trying to put out the fire. One of my distant cousins had married someone from down in the hills and brought back this earthen jug of the shine. Frankly I thought I had been poisoned.

Today, you are permitted to conduct a home beer brewing endeavor for your own use. Same thing with wine. I believe setting up a still for hard spirits is still illegal. So how is this monitored? Due to privacy and search and sezuire laws they cannot come to your door and request to see your brewing operation. You are not required to take out a license for such an endeavor. Just stay below the maximum limits for personal consumption (rather liberal) and you are home free.

[Beaconowner]

Originally Posted by yayoi

While I think marijuana should be legalized, the bottom line is that it isn't and this kid should be punished accordingly.

I doubt people would be as lenient on this kid if he was out there cooking meth or selling prescription drugs.

If only he could be punished "accordingly". Unfortunately, in most states the punishment and colateral after affects of the punishment, will be far more serious than the crime, and will follow him throughout his life.

17 year olds don't think that far ahead, and for that reason, I think he should be treated as a juvenile and given a second chance.

Selling to minors crosses the line for me, but this being a teenager, I'm sure he didn't think this through. Do a search on minors and brain development, and you will see what I'm talking about.

I also don't believe he was "the kingpin" no matter what the police say. It's more likely that there is some adult in the shadows financing this operation and reaping the actual profits while using a minor, specifically because he is a minor, as a front for the operation.

Meth and prescription drugs are to marijuana what scotch is to beer, no comparison. I doubt people would be as lenient if he killed someone too, but he didn't do that, so let's keep to what he actually did.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Beaconowner

It's more likely that there is some adult in the shadows financing this operation and reaping the actual profits while using a minor, specifically because he is a minor, as a front for the operation.

Seven adults to be specific. They should have the book thrown at them. The kids should have some sort of leniency, that with good behavior and cooperation in frying the adults, eventually expunges the felonies from their records.

Ya, I know, Brill you want to fry their behinds. Think if it were your kids who were basically taken advantage of by adult drug dealers. Consequences? Yes. 25 to life? IMO - excessive and heavy handed. And that will ruin the kids lives. Teenagers are kids.

[yayoi]

Originally Posted by Beaconowner

If only he could be punished "accordingly". Unfortunately, in most states the punishment and colateral after affects of the punishment, will be far more serious than the crime, and will follow him throughout his life.

17 year olds don't think that far ahead, and for that reason, I think he should be treated as a juvenile and given a second chance.

Selling to minors crosses the line for me, but this being a teenager, I'm sure he didn't think this through. Do a search on minors and brain development, and you will see what I'm talking about.

I also don't believe he was "the kingpin" no matter what the police say. It's more likely that there is some adult in the shadows financing this operation and reaping the actual profits while using a minor, specifically because he is a minor, as a front for the operation.

Meth and prescription drugs are to marijuana what scotch is to beer, no comparison. I doubt people would be as lenient if he killed someone too, but he didn't do that, so let's keep to what he actually did.

Yep he was caught trafficking drugs. I don't think he should get a lighter sentence because he trafficked marijuana instead of oxycontin.

[rrtechno]

OK, at 17 he is a minor and for that reason he didn't "think that far ahead". Then one day he reaches that magical age of 18 and he is an "adult" and should suffer the consequences. Tell me, is there something magical in those 18 candles on the birthday cake that suddenly instills the wisdom to discern right from wrong and thus make "conscious" choices. I don't believe it. If he didn't understand what he was doing at this point, he wasn't going to suddenly be aware that he was breaking the law on his 18th birthday.

[Briolat21]

Sorry. Its ridiculous. Nothing 'juvenile' about being engaged in criminal activity for multiple years.

[TomJones123]

How many of you would ever push for a 18 year old to be tried as a juvenile. But you all are clamoring for him to be tried as an adult. 18 year olds are just as kid like as 17 year olds but the law applies as an adult at 18. But many of you wanna bump him to being an adult. I bet none of you would feel that way if it was your kids.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Briolat21

Sorry. Its ridiculous. Nothing 'juvenile' about being engaged in criminal activity for multiple years.

This is where I agree with you. Nothing like a minor transgression compared to a full-scaled criminal enterprise which this apparently was. Nothing juvenile about it.

[Briolat21]

Yeah. I'm really not that draconian in most cases, but what really bothered me is all the descriptions in the paper...

"Honor student", "the sort of kid that would lead a youth congregation"..

I'm sorry... it really sounds like, "this is a handsome young man, lets cut him some slack..".

So, I really don't feel like they'd be saying that if he were a goth-looking kid, or another ethnicity, or anything else.

I don't feel like they're cutting him slack because he's 17, but because they identify with him (good looking, clean cut, smart kid).

That's ridiculous.


And yes - I do think sometimes that it is a tragedy that an 18 year old does by all accounts make a 1 time mistake - and then is sentenced harshly because they are an adult.

But this is NOT a 1x mistake. It is YEARS.

I don't know how anyone could be claiming that the kid could be smart enough to be on the honor roll (which apparently he was) and yet so stupid that he could be involved in this enterprise for YEARS and not realize it was wrong.

No way. Kid KNEW it was wrong. Kid did not respect the laws and felt he was untouchable because he is under 18. And if they go after him as a juvenile, he will be proved right. And it will teach him nothing except that obeying laws are for suckers.

[yayoi]

Originally Posted by Briolat21

Yeah. I'm really not that draconian in most cases, but what really bothered me is all the descriptions in the paper...

"Honor student", "the sort of kid that would lead a youth congregation"..

I'm sorry... it really sounds like, "this is a handsome young man, lets cut him some slack..".

So, I really don't feel like they'd be saying that if he were a goth-looking kid, or another ethnicity, or anything else.

I don't feel like they're cutting him slack because he's 17, but because they identify with him (good looking, clean cut, smart kid).

That's ridiculous.


And yes - I do think sometimes that it is a tragedy that an 18 year old does by all accounts make a 1 time mistake - and then is sentenced harshly because they are an adult.

But this is NOT a 1x mistake. It is YEARS.

I don't know how anyone could be claiming that the kid could be smart enough to be on the honor roll (which apparently he was) and yet so stupid that he could be involved in this enterprise for YEARS and not realize it was wrong.

No way. Kid KNEW it was wrong. Kid did not respect the laws and felt he was untouchable because he is under 18. And if they go after him as a juvenile, he will be proved right. And it will teach him nothing except that obeying laws are for suckers.

I agree and I'll also add that I think that this kid is getting a bit of a pass because of the type of drug he trafficked. Many people feel that marijuana should be legal so some of them feel the kid should get some leniency because of that.