Posted on 12/15/2005 10:22:40 AM PST by kingattax
School Cashier Turned Money In ---
(CBS) GARY, Ind. A cafeteria worker at an elementary school in northwest Indiana thought it was odd that a 4th grader was paying for lunch with a $20.
According to our news partner, the Post-Tribune, the fourth grader from Gary tried to pay for his food at the school cafeteria with a $20 bill. The money looked real enough, but since kids don’t normally flash such a large wad around school, the cashier turned it in.
Turns out, that's not the only thing that was odd .The cash was counterfeit.
The 10-year-old boy admitted he made the cash on his home computer. Police say he enlisted the help of another boy and a girl to help him pass off the cash:
"We were very surprised. We're working with the Secret Service and they say this is the youngest they've ever seen. And, some of it is pretty good quality for a 10-year-old to do by himself," said Det. Cpl. Darlene Breitenstein with the Gary Police Department.
But there were several giveaways that the bills weren't quite right. All of the serial numbers were the same. Some of the bills weren't cut too well, and the paper didn't feel right.
The three children face charges of forgery and theft.
Exactly. And you possibly would have pleaded ignorance to your parents had they confronted you?
I really loathe the "silly kids didn't know what they were doing" excuse.
Kids push the boundaries. Adults/parents gotta be the bad cops sometimes. Learn early before you go too far.
As a jury member, I was disgusted to hear the use of the same excuses.
As a child, I actually once spent a half hour rubbing a penny on the sidewalk on its faces and edges until it was the size of a dime for a candy machine.
Made 9 cents profit, which worked out to 27 cents an hour.
Glad I didn't get caought.
Give him a job at the Fed. If the Fed/ Treasury can print up dollarz with nothing to back them up...why shouldn't this kid be allowed to do the same?
Living pretty dangerously as a kid.
One time I cut the tag off of a mattress. (They are still looking for me 30 years later.)
the most sucessful counterfeitters are the ones who pass small bills. as they are less likely to be noticed. if the kid has been passing off $1s and $5s he could have prolly passed alot more on.
And voter, especially if he sees any jail time.
If someone won't accept it, that means that they do not want to trade their "stuff" for that bill. He put in extra effort to take from someone while giving something he knows they don't want. Every kid knows that isn't a fair trade.
Most 10 year olds I know are pretty sharp, and they know that giving someone something fake to try to get something real is not right. In age-appropriate terms: You don't print 3 fake A-Rod rookie baseball cards on your PC and expect 2 real Roger Clemens rookie cards in return.
I think he should face some sort of punishment (not Juvie, though).
I did the same except I used large tin-snips to remove the raised rim of the penny. I was more astounded that it actually worked than guilty that I had ripped off the 'system'.
I used them in an orange juice machine at school. School authorities made it known that they were aware of it and it had better stop. It did. They never let on what the actual conterfeit consisted of so there were no copy cat crimes. I would reimburse the school for the 50-60 cents, but the place was torn down in the late 60's.
Confession is good for the soul.
I feel better now...
"When paroled, they can get a job at CBS News."
Heck, yea! They already know the "fake, but accurate" MSM motto!
Its a wonder my kid is not in prison. Ever Monday he pays for lunch with a twenty, I give him a twenty on Monday morning for lunch and spending money for the week. He is also 10 years old, I wonder why they don't think he is using fake money?
"When paroled, they can get a job at CBS News."
As a document checker.
and even asking such a question could get you a visit by the scecret service
Sure, let me warm up my printer...
----There ya go. Now THAT was funny! LOL
That brings to mind Larry the Cable Guy going there and paying the stripper with Monopoly money:
Stripper: "What's the big idea! That's not real money!"
LTCG: "Them ain't real titties, either."
ping
In fact, sometimes the higher the body count, the lower the intelligence level.
And it doesn't get any better when they're teenagers, either.
Yeah, I agree. If its a kid thing, it should be settled with appropriate punishment before coming to trial. If it gets to trial I agree that the kid can't use the "hey I'm just a kid" excuse, he should experience the force of law if they let it go to trial. In this case, there is no reason for the kid not to pled guilty and find a workable settlement.
As far as my ignorance, I never could plea that. I always knew when I was doing something wrong, sometimes I did it anyway. And most of the time I did not get caught. When I did, I took what I had coming and learned from it.
"When paroled, they can get a job at CBS News."
As a document checker old document maker.
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