Dean (RAT-VT) Says Son Charged With Burglary - 17-year-old arrested as adult - facing felonies...

Yahoo News ^ | 6/20/03 | ROSS SNEYD

[Libloather]

Dean Says Son Charged With Burglary
2 hours, 16 minutes ago
By ROSS SNEYD, Associated Press Writer

MONTPELIER, Vt. - Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean said Friday that his 17-year-old son and four other teenagers were cited in a burglary for attempting to steal liquor from a Vermont country club.

Dean, who canceled several campaign appearances, said his son, Paul, and teammates on the high school hockey team apparently were discovered early Friday morning at the Burlington Country Club by a police officer on routine patrol. Dean said it was his understanding that his son would be charged as an accessory.

"Children do stupid things and this is one of them," Dean said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from a Minnesota airport where he was awaiting a flight back to Vermont.

"I'm cutting short my next two days on the campaign trail to deal with a family problem that I consider to be a serious problem," he said.

Art Cyr, a detective in Burlington, Vt., said the incident occurred between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. Friday, when the police officer spotted Paul Dean seated at the wheel of a car near the country club and questioned him, learning that the burglary was in progress.

Cyr said he believed Dean's role was to be the driver while the teen's four friends went to a storage area at the club to get the liquor. The teenagers were ordered to appear in court to answer charges on Aug. 5. In Paul Dean's case, the charge would be accessory to burglary.

In a statement released later in the day, Dean said, "I understand that this matter is being handled by the state's attorney, and I hope the press and the public will respect the privacy of my family — particularly of my son — during this difficult time."

The Democratic candidate and former Vermont governor had been in St. Paul, Minn., for a Democratic meeting, and had planned to attend a forum in Iowa on Saturday.

Dean said he still would travel to Washington Sunday for an appearance on NBC's "Meet The Press," but he had not decided whether to participate in the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition candidate forum in Chicago and a subsequent fund-raiser there.

The candidate planned to go forward with his formal announcement and campaign kickoff on Monday in Burlington.

Dean said because Paul, whom he described as an "honor student," is captain of his school hockey team, the incident probably would have become public.

"When you're 17 years old, you get to make bad decisions and this was one," Dean said.

[Libloather]

Radio report included police officer comments.

Like son, like father?

[b4its2late]

Sounds like Kerrys team leaked it......

[RoseofTexas]

My thoughts exactly!! The RATS are eating their own VOMIT!! Bawhahhahahaha!

[RJCogburn]

Like son, like father?

With due respect, that is a cheap shot. Some kids do really stupid things. Even kids from good parents who work hard to rear them well. It happens.

[lawgirl]

Suddenly the Bush twins look like angels. Take that, rats.

[ambrose]

Bump!

[jwalsh07]

Who cares? Kids will be kids. I don't like it when they do this crap to the Bush gals and I ain't jumping on this wagon either.

[DoctorMichael]

Hahahahahahahahahahahhaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lololololololololol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Book 'em, Danno! Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!

[Diago]

"Who cares? Kids will be kids. I don't like it when they do this crap to the Bush gals and I ain't jumping on this wagon either."

Ditto.

[mass55th]

Doesn't Kerry have Chris LeHane working for him? Odds are it was LeHane who leaked this one, afterall, he was the one who leaked Bush's DUI during the 2000 campaign.

[daddypatriot]

Let's see if the New York Times and Washington Post, and, oh yes, the Boston Globe, shove this one under the rug. They sure as hell didn't mind splashing the Bush girls all over the page.

[Libloather]

Kids will be kids.

The radio report mentioned serious jail time...

[CaptainK]

I actually feel sorry for Dean. But it will be interesting to see how the press handles this. Will perkie Katie and the Today show open up Monday mornings program with this story, as they did with the Bush girls? Or will they even mention it?

[LasVegasMac]

Well said. It is damn hard to raise the "chillren" these days. Major embarrassment for Dad, to be sure. He may be a 'Rat but I don't wish this on anyone.

LVM

[jwalsh07]

The radio report mentioned serious jail time...

Kids don't get serious jail time for B&E in search of booze unless they are armed.

If they weren't armed then an asskicking from Dad is in order, a suspended sentence and some work on the "I won't do it again" chain gang.

[Tacis]

Since both father and son have indicated a desire to put this behind them and move on, it would be inappropriate for any of the ultra-left wing, neocommunist democrat media to make any further mention of this unfortunate situation. Let us move on! Hey, how about those missing weapons of mass destruction?

[Gillmeister]

bump

Has anyone from the mainstream media bothered to report this? Doubt it.

[okie01]

"Who cares? Kids will be kids. I don't like it when they do this crap to the Bush gals and I ain't jumping on this wagon either."

Big difference, though, between an under-age drinker trying to order a marguerita and an under-age drinker participating in an attempted break-in and theft of liquor.

This caper is a legitimate news story. The Bush twins' escapade wasn't.

[liberalnot]

it happens to pubbies, too!

when randy "duke" cunningham r-ca was my u.s. congressman his son was busted up in boston for dealing drugs.

my admiration for the duke, a vietnam combat pilot, fell when he went up to the trial and grovelled before the judge to reduce his son's sentence.

seems to me, if you can do the crime, you can do the time.

[Hildy]

No, but it sounds like a boy who hates his Father. Any kid who would even risk this kind of embarrassment to his Father at this time is a kid who wanted to get caught. IMHO,