Boy, 7, charged after crashing dad's car.

February 18, 2002 2:56 PM

Boy, 7, charged after crashing dad's car. Nothing beats good old Florida justice. Enough said.
posted by wackybrit (16 comments total)

Enough said?

Then why did you post it?

Okay, mild snarkiness aside, I wonder if there's something more to this story. My first reaction is to throw the poor excuse for a father in jail and have the state or someone else in the family take custody of the kid.

Endangering a child like that is inexcusable.
posted by ebarker at 3:18 PM on February 18, 2002

This has been all over last night's evening news here in the US, under a headline of the sorts of 'father uses son as designated driver'. The drunk driving charges that the father is facing are serious; I assume the charges on the kid are so some sober but dumb parent doesn't think that 7 year olds driving are cute. I don't think there's much more to the story. There are probably stupid-parent-tricks coming from every country in the world; I'm not sure why this is remarkable.
posted by dness2 at 4:02 PM on February 18, 2002

Florida justice? Florida justice would be charging the 7-year old as an adult.
posted by aaronetc at 4:26 PM on February 18, 2002

Florida justice? Florida justice would be charging the 7-year old as an adult

and then electing him to president
posted by victors at 5:19 PM on February 18, 2002

Florida justice doesn't seem so bad then. Why shouldn't the child be charged? Talk to me after the sentence is imposed... that's where the leniency should come into play.

Not that the father shouldn't get the freakin' book thrown at him...
posted by dissent at 5:32 PM on February 18, 2002

One of the local stations ran an "exclusive interview" on the evening news tonight. I think it was WFTS, but not positive. Here is what I could find locally on their site, but not from an exclusive. The "father" (the only father the child know, but not his biological) said the child may be taken from the home. Cannot find a link for this info.
posted by RunsWithBandageScissors at 6:18 PM on February 18, 2002

crap, first link post. let me try it again, here is the link I was referring to above.
posted by RunsWithBandageScissors at 6:19 PM on February 18, 2002

I'm confused. Here in the UK, we've got a minimal age of criminal responsibility. IIRC, it's 10 years of age. Prior to that, the child is considered to be incapable of knowing right from wrong, etc. I.e, they're simply too young to know they're doing wrong.
Doesn't the US have something similar? What next, charging a two-year old who sneaks behind a bush to take a leak with public indecency?
posted by kaemaril at 7:13 PM on February 18, 2002

Why shouldn't the child be charged?

Because he's freaking 7 and now has an arrest record, obviously.
posted by jpoulos at 7:18 PM on February 18, 2002

being cited doesn't mean he's been arrested. driving without a license regardless of age will get one a citation if caught. this is true in all the states I have lived in.
posted by RunsWithBandageScissors at 7:58 PM on February 18, 2002

I don't know about the UK kaemaril, but here in the U.S. you can still know right from wrong and be charged with a crime. (Not that this is a case in point)
posted by banished at 7:58 PM on February 18, 2002

Can i be surprised that his last name isn't Bush? Growing up Bush seems to be about as hard as growing up Kennedy used to be, eh?
posted by Ufez Jones at 8:28 PM on February 18, 2002

banished, I think you misunderstood.

And kaemaril, we don't have a set age. In the U.S., I'm fairly sure it falls under the prosecution's burden of proof; i.e., they have to show that the defendant understood that what he did was wrong.
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 9:49 PM on February 18, 2002

That poor kid. Probably scared to death and confused as all get out because he's being treated so harshly after doing what his father told him was ok. When you're 7 years old, you know to accept what your parents tell you, for the most part, unless you're being "bad." Autonomy and rebellion are not exactly words in your vocabulary. And considering this is something the boy has been doing since he was probably about 5 or 6, I don't see how we can justify punishing the child for this. Even if it's a stupid slap on the wrist, what good is it going to do besides confuse and traumatize him?
posted by grrarrgh00 at 11:31 PM on February 18, 2002

banished, I think you misunderstood.

I was simply trying to explain that the U.S. system is not entirely based on right or wrong. Justice is very, VERY, different than the law. Many laws are created for the "common good" and are not based on any sort of moral code. That is actually part of the reason we have lawyers. But I didn't misunderstand, in fact, I was careful to add "(Not that this is a case in point)" because it really isn't. Do you honestly believe that this kid will be charged with anything? It would be highly unlikely, and would reflect pretty badly on the florida justice system.
posted by banished at 1:51 PM on February 19, 2002

When you're 7 years old, you know to accept what your parents tell you

Could I get you to have a chat with my kids about this?
posted by rodii at 2:52 PM on February 19, 2002