I read an article today about six teens who face felony vandalism charges 
because of the dedicated sleuthing of a mother whose house was hit by the pranksters.
Katja Base, of Norco, California, said she did it to teach her own kids a lesson about accountability.
Base canvassed local supermarkets, to see if any had experienced a run on toilet paper in the days leading up to the shenanigans. Once she found one that had, she went to the tape -- the videotape, that is -- to gain further clues to the culprits' identities.
I guess there's something to be learned from watching crime TV shows. If you're thinking about doing a little late-night toilet papering, watch out! You'll never guess who might unmask you.
I have to say that growing up I was never a victim or perpetrator of TP hi-jinks. Has this ever happened to you or someone you know?
(Photo: Bee file)
I have to say that I'm one who allows their kids to T.P. There are certain 'rules' that apply though - we must know the family and know they don't mind this kind of prank. We allow T.P. only (as opposed to soap, eggs, etc.), and we don't mind being T.P.'d, assuming the same 'rules' are followed (which, of course, we can't control). And we only allow this very periodically.
Maybe some accountability is a good idea, but a felony? That seems way overboard to me. No wonder the prisons are so crowded, if everything is a felony these days.
This is ludicrous. A woman who has such a large amount of time on her hands should be doing something more productive than putting this kind of extraneous effort into tracking down six TP-ers. I find it interesting that the article doesn't say what exactly had happened to her house. Methinks the reason for this ommission is that it would reveal how ridiculous this particular circumstance really is. I harbor no ill will toward someone who has TRUE vandalism inflicted upon their homes, such as a broken window, a destroyed car, or a bashed in wall. TP-ing, however, is a harmless prank, and if this lady wanted to teach her kids a lesson, she should have taught them responsibility by making them clean up the mess that they made.
I personally do not like being TP'd. I have never been TP'd. I have had my trash cans moved on trash pick up and stuff like that. I don't mind the pranks as long as I don't have to clean up. Some people don't like pranks and go to extremes to find out who did it. I have seen a house with about 2 acres in my neighborhood get TP'd. Sucks to be the person who has to clean it up. I don't think that the kids should be charged with a felony, maybe just punished by the authorities by having them clean up or do community service, pick up cans or something. A felony conviction is really pushing it.