Four girls, ranging in age from 9 to 11, could be facing felony criminal mischief charges after they allegedly broke windows at Mendenhall River Community School on Saturday.
The Juneau Police Department received a report stating a teacher at the school caught the girls committing vandalism. An investigation revealed the girls broke seven windows to seven classrooms, according to a release from JPD. After entering the classrooms, the girls caused further damage, the release states. The damage is estimated to be more than $5,000.
The girls, ages 11, 11, 10 and 9, were released to their parents. The case will be forwarded to Johnson Youth Center for consideration of charging the girls with third-degree criminal mischief, a class ‘C’ felony, the release states.
Comments (67)
Add commentI'm sorry
I’m Sorry 2/12/2012
I’m mad at myself for committing such a vulgar act of violence. Sorry does not cut it. I wish I could rewind what I have done and instead have walked away from the whole situation. I’m sorry to the following people:
Maintenance - I’m sorry for making you come in late on a weekend during a storm and clean up after my damage.
Principal Hicks - I’m sorry for making you come in on a Saturday. I’m also sorry for disappointing you and making extra work for you.
Mr.B - I’m sorry for making you call 911 and chase us down. I’m also sorry for disappointing you.
Classroom teachers - I’m sorry for breaking your trust. I’m also sorry for making a mess in your classrooms. I’m sorry for disrespecting you.
Classroom students - I’m sorry for making your classrooms dangerous with glass. I hope no one gets hurt. I’m also sorry for ruining your possessions.
Office staff - I’m sorry for increasing you work.
Officer - I’m sorry for keeping you from saving lives, and doing more important work. I’m also sorry for making you take pictures in the cold, and fill out paperwork.
People of Juneau - I apologize for wasting tax payer’s money.
I'm sorry
ok, let me get this straight
4 kids 9 - 11 cause vadalism at a school and face felony charges
An 18 year old kid in Hoonah has nude photos of his girlfriend that SHE sent HIM on his phone and faces felony child porn charges
A local cop molests his daughter for years but denies it and gets a free pass.
So, if your a local cop and say I didnt do it then its ok.
Everyone in every prison would be out free because they all say they didnt do it, oh wait they arent cops in Juneau Alaska and facing D.A. Brower.
Understanding the your innocent until proven guilty. A trial should be required so all the facts are out. O.J. got away with murder but at least had a trial, Anthony, same thing. If our D.A. wasnt such a coward and worried about his win / loss record ,,,, but then if your a bad attorney to begin with and the defense if substantially better and you want to keep your well paying job then what would you do?
Plead those that aren't a slam dunk.
Felony?
Not sure I see that.
Regarding Iamsorry and friends, I don't see how this incident wastes taxpayers' money - I expect to see your parents paying for the cost of repairs and staff time.
Felony charges seem a bit
Felony charges seem a bit over the top. Beat their arse's, & make the parent pay for the damages.
Dear I'm sorry,
What you and your friends did was wrong. What you have done by apologizing is a huge step in the right direction to make amends to everyone who you hurt and disrespected. It sounds like you have taken personal responsibility for your actions and that speaks volumes about your character. Thank you.
There is no going back to undue this situation. The best outcome now is that you learn a lesson from this and can now become a better person because of it.
Slegnawons, your childish
Slegnawons, your childish rant also speaks volumes about your character! One of the young children responsible for this act has publicly appologized for their actions and here you are in the same forum crying about nonsense! This child has shown they are more of a grown up than you. You should be ashamed of yourself .
Latitude, any damage done to property of another in the amount of $500 or more is a felony. It's the law regardless of age.
C'mon
A felony will follow these kids for life. Just last week a child sex abuser got a light sentence and no parole requirements. A drug dealer who was caught with 6 lbs of cocaine received no jail time. A cop killer from Hoonah doesn't stand trial.
No matter what poster "really" thinks. Prosecutors and judges routinely use latitude in charging and sentencing. The letter of the law doesn't need to be and shouldn't always be followed. These kids are not hardened criminals. GIve them the appropriate punishment and let them learn a hard lesson. but a felony? C'mon.
Hard to believe
Can't believe little girls did it. It least one of them said, "Sorry" But yes they deserve the felony, you play you pay!
Oh yeah!
Hey Slegawons! OJ didn't do it.
Start with payment
by the parents for the damage. Each of those kids should have had a PFD for about their share of the cost. That would show me the parents are truly concerned and honestly dealing with the matter.
It seems when this type of incident happens the parents can pay for some attorney to show their kind is not at fault. Yet they can never afford to compensate the school district for the destruction.
They must have been really
They must have been really bored in class.
Perhaps I'm more cynical than most...
Perhaps I'm more cynical than most, since I'm having a tough time finding it credible that one of the miscreant girls actually wrote the first post on this chain.
Instead, it's also possible that one of their parents composed the missive in an attempt to deflect future criticism; or perhaps someone completely unaffiliated with this situation did it just to trigger the "blog reflex" in all of us!
If it was the young lady, then I stand corrected and my hat is off to you for coming clean in such a public way; if it was a parent, then shame on you; and if it was a pot-stirrer, congratulations on a job well done!
Parents Should Pay
I agree that the taxpayers should not pay for this damage. Our schools struggle enough; why add cleanup for some vandals onto the already expensive cost of education? The parents should be required to pay.
I also felt that the first post was very well-written for an 11-year-old (or younger) and is either a joke or a parent-written post. Most kids don't use the word "vulgar" and they don't know what "rewind" is because they don't own VCRs or cassettes...
Need a closer look
What are the criminal histories of these girls? First timers or habitual offenders? Who are the parents? Will they take time to help correct this? A felony is harsh and will follow them forever. A weekend in lock up, restitution, and several hundred hours of community service should straighten them out. I got in trouble as a youth on something similar, received this sentence, and it cured me for life.
Felony charge too much!
These kids are too young to have that follow them around for the rest of their lives. Garnish their pfd or make the parents pay.
Dear "I'm sorry",
You're going to have a tough upcoming year paying for what you did. You'll be involved with the juvenile system. Don't let this incident label you as a troublemaker. If you think you are a troublemaker, you'll keep making bad decisions for the rest of your life. You obviously have a conscience and a good heart. Pay for what you did, figure out why you did it, decide not to do it again, and start over.
@Islander
Good thinking on the PFD. I agree the payback funds should come out of their PFDs or it should come out of the parents' PFDs too but no one expects parents to take responsibility for their kids these days.
What kind of 9 year old breaks into a school and destroys things? Wow, I hope they get counseling.
@Orion
I agree
Step one done
I'm sorry, you have completed the first step to taking your life in a new direction. Awesome! Step to is making repirations and amends. I am sure you will do that, you have an amazing mentor. And even more courage than you know.
For those who believe this could not have been written by a 5th grader, you are wrong. Especially one in the class of Mr B. As a parent of one of his former students, this is exactly the type of thinking and responsibility he teaches. He may have had a hand in suggesting this form of public apology, but I firmly believe the words and sentiment came out of one or maybe all of the girls. He has that effect on his students.
They need to be charged!
They will never learn there lesson if they are not charged. You play you pay! Let them skate and in a few years we will be reading about them again.
I am one of the parents of
I am one of the parents of the girls that did the vandalism. I would like to say that i am truley very sorry for what happen. I thank God that no one was hurt in their poor choice and actions. My daugehter has never did anything like this before and she know what she did was worng. She is perpared to take repercussions of her actions. Not only is she very scared about the out come but she has convinced that she is going to jail.
@SincereApologies
I doubt she'll go to jail. I also doubt the felony charge will stick. But really, you should go to night school and take a remedial grammar class. And throw remedial spelling in there for good measure.
Really Futo? Is that necessary?
Again, one can always be sure to find needless insults, snipes and snark here in the comments section. Thanks, Futo, for at least being consistent! I’m sure everyone appreciates your fine grammar and spelling.
AH HA
If these girls are truly sorry, perhaps a public apology where they actually take ownership of their actions would be a good first step. If one of them wants to write an apology and have it published that would be excellent. If the letter had a full name and signature at the bottom, it would be even better.
I know that on its face doing something like that would be embarrassing but, I and I believe most other people in Juneau feel that stepping forward and publicly accepting ownership of one's mis-deeds would reflect positively on a youngster such as these.
All in all, it's just...
...another brick in the window.
I could be mistaken but...
I could be mistaken, but for those of you concerned with the long term consequences for the children, I believe that in Alaska the criminal records of juveniles (if not charged as an adult) are automatically sealed upon reaching age eighteen.
Any lawyers blogging this post that can confirm?
Really
Really?, When I quit laughing at your silly post let me say there was no post before mine this morning so I couldnt see /address one that didnt exist. Sorry really, but c'mon, really?
Its raining now, wow, imagine, thats what I said he didnt do it according to the jury at the time however he was held financially responsible for not doing it.
Felonies can be for life
If convicted of a felony, it will be removed by the time they reach 18 so they can vote and buy a gun. But, most employment applications ask if an applicant has EVER committed a felony. Being disqualified for a good job can be worse than not voting or gun ownership.
respect
Learning respect begins at home. Respect of your elders, your teachers, other adults and property that doesn't belong to you. Manners and common curtesy, contrary to popular opinon, has not gone out of style. What seems to have fallen by the way side is the failure of many parents to teach these life skills and basics to your children. It is not the job of teachers to instill such things to your children, they should have learned it long before 1st grade. Many of todays children are out of control with their behaviors, just query their teachers and you will hear stories of their misbehavior and sense of entitlement.
I have some doubts the letter signed "I am sorry" was written solely by one of the children in question. If it was an adult was scripting the words. Where are the other three letters? There were four children involved afterall.
My question to you " i am one of the parents" is why do you think it is ok for a child between the age of 9-11 to run around town unsupervised? My daughter who is 31 has 3 children of her own ( ages 9-11) . She knows where those children are every moment of the day and/or whos house they are playing at. She is responsible enough to know her children are far too young to be left wondering around town unsupervised at any time. Perhaps you would benefit from a parenting class or two. You and the other adults should be held accountable for the actions and crimes of your children.
I agree with the suggestion of taking all three PDF's away from the children to help repay the cost of the $5000.00 repair bill. Throw in at least 100 hours of community service per child. Let the parents foot the bill for the rest of the damage. If I had it my way the children would also have to wear sandwich boards telling the public they were the vandals while standing in front of the school during their recess for a whole week. Shame and restitution goes a long way for most children. Then let them worry about a felony charge.
It really sucks getting
It really sucks getting caught, don't it?
If your a minor...
Once your 18, your record is cleared. I have a friend who was convicted of 2 felonies when he was in highschool. When he turned 18 they were wiped from his record. I didn't believe it until he said, "look at my back round check, those felonies are gone." Today he is a successful contractor with no back lash from the incident that occurred in high school. I doubt anyone even remembers that he got in trouble.
So if you play you pay, charge them and accept your punishment. Be responsible for your actions.