Prosecutors troubled by recurring vandalism
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The recent cases of youth vandalism include the attack on a house on Hennessee Bridge Road recently where seven teens ages 13 through 17 used rocks, BB and paint ball guns to smash out windows and doors and shovels to smash vehicles while terrorizing a couple in the home. Earlier in the month, several youths, some as young as 8, were charged with causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage to General Shale in Westwood and Westwood Church of Christ. Last year, a group known as the Westwood Warriors terrorized the Westwood neighborhood for weeks, spray painting and vandalizing property.
The rash of recent mass destruction has caught the eye of prosecutors and juvenile officials who are concerned by the apparent trend.
“There’s no one way to solve the problem,” said District Attorney General Dale Potter. “There’s limits on what we can do to them, especially if it’s their first time. A lot of it is in the hands of the parents.”
While some say arresting the parents along with the children would force stronger parental controls, Potter said it is not easy as it sounds.
“It’s hard to make a parent get involved,” Potter said. “The only way we can charge a parent is if we can prove neglect and that they knew what their child was going to do. Sometimes the juvenile court can do some things that make a parent get involved with the ruling after the fact, but that’s after the fact. The damage that is done sometimes falls back on the victim or insurance companies because the parents of the children don’t have the money to make restitution.”
Potter noted such actions are sometimes, but not always, associated with the lack of attention from parents.
“Instead of treating children like adults, some parents need to pay more attention to their kids,” Potter said. “Ask where they’re going, who they’re with and check on them. If kids have a lot of idle time on their hands, they will often get into something they don’t need to be into. Of course, sometimes even the child of a good parent can get into trouble by just falling in with the wrong crowd. All it takes is one kid doing something and then peer pressure takes over with the rest and they fall right into line.”
Another contributing factor, Potter believes, are video games, marketed to kids which show destruction.
“A lot of video games nowadays are about destroying things,” Potter said. “This is somewhat new to this generation. When a child sees this over and over, I think it could have its effect on them.”
As for whether the three major vandalism gangs is a sign of a more violent and destructive generation, Potter believes such incidents should serve as a wake-up call to some parents.
“We can’t make them get involved with their children, it’s something they’ve got to do on their own,” Potter said.