What is the difference between a prank and vandalism? In some cases, the difference is clear. The classic flaming bag of dog poop placed on the cranky neighbor's porch is a prank. A flaming bottle full of gasoline tossed through the cranky neighbor's window is vandalism.
Sometimes, the difference is not so obvious. Last week, five kids broke into a home in the Poconos "and threw about fifty stones at the eleven pet alligators there injuring at least two of the animals" according to police reports. A harmless prank? Felonious vandalism? Or is it something else? You decide.
"The owner had the alligators X-rayed. The estimated medical cost to treat their injuries is $6,000" At that price, it sounds like felonious vandalism to me. That cost estimate may also include psychiatric care for the dog and cat owners traumatized in the vet's waiting room when the gator owner entered with eleven presumably angry reptiles in tow. "OMG, Bernice, there I was with Fluffy waiting on her annual distemper shot when eleven gators come waddling in. Fluffy coughed up a hairball the size of a grapefruit."
If the Casey Anthony trial has taught us anything, it is that we should not rush to judgement even if Nancy Grace tells us to do so. The police report continues, "The alligators are various sizes, ranging from 30 pounds to more than 200 pounds." Maybe the "harmless prank" defense won't convince a jury, but an "insanity" defense would be foolproof. "We got bored with frying ants with a magnifying glass, Your Honor, so we naturally decided to throw stones at reptiles that weigh more than we do. What could possibly go wrong?"
Is it a harmless prank, vandalism, or something else? I vote for "incredible stupidity".
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