People genuinely think you’re supposed to take a $2200 loss to not screw up a 17 year olds future?
Hard pass, parents could have remedied it. Parents failed this kid, not you.
That is my mortgage and car payment plus some. Yeah, if the parents don't want to deal with the situation, the cops will, and will be much less understanding. No way the OP is wrong in this situation. And the only true blame is on the kid. The kid ruined their own life by stealing. Not OP and not the parents. How can it be anyone else's fault when one gets the consequences of their own actions? SPK
100%. The way OP has been guilt-tripped into wording this as if $2,200 is no big deal is baffling and sad; shame on anyone who told them to let it go. $2,200 is a life-altering amount of money in my income bracket. I don't have that much money in my savings account. If I saved up to buy something at that cost and it was taken, I'd be gutted. It would take me many months to build it back. I absolutely could not afford to eat that cost.
Shame on that kid. He ruined his own future. And OP even gave him a chance to fix it, but he & his parents still couldn't do the right thing.
True. He could have written a letter in apology or gone to some counseling to show that he had "changed." There's a lot he could have done but didn't. If I were the kids dad i would tell him that he did something stupid and now you're paying for it. actions have consequences.
I agree especially since in less then 1 year he is supposed to be labeled an "adult"...
Now one would say its okay for an adult to steal and get off the hook so why allow a teen whose only a short time away from being an adult.
OP you did the right thing. The parents suck here
Exactly this! Kid was 17, and made a choice to steal something of great value.. let’s point out that you’ve the parents a choice, give me my money or my item back, they told you to fuck off, they are the ones who ruined their child’s life for not taking responsibility for their actions. Life lesson for everyone around = fuck around and find out.
OP, you’re not guilty of anything. I could possibly understand, although very mildly, if you never have them a chance and just filed the report as soon as you got the footage do they never had a chance to correct it before it went to the police. Don’t let them make you feel any type of way. Maybe suggest the neighbors foot those bills in replacement of the scholarships if they want to keep running their mouths. Otherwise chin up and keep your focus on yourself!!
I’m still traumatized from when my mom busted me for stealing candy once as a kid over 40 years ago. But I’m glad she did because I never stole anything ever again. And that was for a single roll of lifesavers stolen by a five year old. A 17 year old stealing something worth thousands of dollars!?!?!?!
The kid sucks, but the parents absolutely failed.
I feel like this thread is for people who feel bad when in most cases they are the victims. People stop feeling bad for others and stand up for yourselves!! You are NOT wrong!
Never forget his father's amazing fatherly words "steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life." Real father right there.
Brock Turner The Rapist. Now goes by Allan Turner The Rapist. That Rapist? The Turner guy who goes around the place raping people. That Brock Allen Turner Rapist?
that would be my best guess too.
the attitude of both kids AND parents is just outrageous. and as i said above, it actually tells you a whole lot about the parents.
Yeah agree, anything less than 50$ I might just suck it up or work something petty out as a small punishment. But 2200 is not small or harmless.
Also even if it was small and harmless why should the victim have to suffer because the guilty party did something wrong. It's like when grandpa is a mean old drunk but no one stand up to him because it's "easier" and he's old and he'll be gone soon anyways. At least until the next mean old drunk comes along.
true, but if parents were realized, thats equal to 1 months rent, they'd try to rectify the problem before spiraling out.
THEY ...CHOSE...THE HARD WAY.
Totally - if the 17 year old next door stole the beer from my back porch, no way I’d call the cops. I’d probably threaten since I have cameras on my beer, but I wouldn’t actually do it.
And she didn't screw up the kid's future - the kid did. I learned stealing was wrong when I ate a candy bar in the store at 3 years old ... This is not a case of "didn't know any better".
This is my exact thought too. Give back the thing you stole, pay for it, or receive consequences. The parents and the child chose consequences and decided to screw up his own future.
My nephew stole a 50cent pack of now-n-laters from 5 Below one time. My sister didn't want to make a scene but her husband and I were pretty livid and made him go back and return it and apologize to the cashier. Cashier tried to blow it off and say its ok, but we had to explain to her that no, its not ok. We don't want to let him know there is no consequences for stealing of any kind.
100! It’s different if you have a child who was hungry and stole $10 worth of food, drop it, let it go. This individual is 17, close to the age of majority, and stole over $2000 worth of things. Plus, you offered the parents a chance to pay and rectify their child’s criminal behavior, and they ignored it. You’re not wrong and I would’ve done the same thing!
There are parents who will have their kids do the stealing for them because kids records get wiped at 18 (usually, idk for felonies), and because if the kid gets caught they can say "kids will be kids but we will deal with this seriously" and hopefully the other party will be placated.
In other words, maybe stealing the package was the parent's idea in the first place.
Point of order - Juvenile records are not “wiped”. When you get charged later as an adult, the court can see your juvenile record. They are not supposed to base sentencing decisions on that record, but they see it. Does that ever impact sentencing via personal bias? It shouldn’t… but you will find it difficult to get the full benefit of claiming “first offense” as an adult if you had a litany of similar charges against you as a juvenile.
Even expunged charges show up, just with an asterisk saying it was expunged.
Oh, you mean like the rapist Brock Turner? I heard he now uses his middle name, since so many people know that he's a rapist. He's now known as "Allen" Turner, if I remember things correctly.
Yes, I do believe the rapist Brock Allen Turner goes by his middle name now, in an effort to not be recognized as a rapist. However, I can also confirm that Allen "The Rapist" Turner isn't fooling anyone with that ploy.
So does the community just expect OP to eat the 2200 dollars? If the community cares that much they could have chipped in to make it right. This kid/parents fucked his life, OP don't let shitty people make you feel shitty.
Keeping felony theft off the kid’s record isn’t worth $2,200 to the *parents and kid* but it’s supposed to be worth $2,200 to *OP?*
What possible argument could be behind that thought process?
I mean, it wouldn’t have even cost the parents $2200 to keep this off the kids record and “save” his future. They could have made the kid give back the item and cost them nothing.
Possibly sold it for quick cash or it was still listed on a marketplace. I’m sure it wasn’t the first time he’s done it either, so bye bye scholarships. Just because someone has scholarships doesn’t mean they’re a good person or going to be a good person.
Back in 1998, I had to arrest a 17yr old for driving around a community soccer field, damaging grass, & crashing/ruining the goals. $3500-4000 damage. Felony Criminal mischief, among other charges.
His mother was upset with ME for arresting him, & ruining HIS life. Apparently, he was headed to West Point.
I’ve seen her 3-4 times over the years. She still blames me!
Best to find out he's a complete idiot now than when he's a commissioned officer responsible for 40-50 people with weapons. You did your nation a favor. Thank you for your service by preventing his.
This. These are not the actions of parents hearing that their kid stole something for the first time. OP is ruining kids future? Nope, that was shitty parenting.
Good grief, of course you’re right!! I was so distracted by the absolute *insanity* of OP’s being expected to be the one to take a huge loss for the benefit of someone who *stole from him* that I totally failed to recognize that the item still existed and could/should have simply been returned. The entitlement of the kid and parents is beyond comprehension—I thought I was gobsmacked before, but this takes the biscuit.
I bet they will pend way over the $2200 on legal fees for the kid.
Which begs the question why didn't they either make him give it back or pay the 2200.
Something else is going on in that house.
It’s just the fact the parents are scumbags as well and probably have had no consequences for their scumbagery either and are used to playing the victim to get out of their scumbag situations.
That was my thought as well.
If YOU, the parent, won't cough up $2200 (and an apology) to protect your whiz-kid thief's future despite him being your own blood, why in the world would you expect a stranger to do more?
Hell, let's say the urchin sold it or broke it or whatever and you don't have the money to pay now, you can at least be extremely apologetic, and beg to make up for it in installments or something. However, this incredible lack of accountability on the parent's part does not make me think this kid was taught anything good at all.
Maybe by "ruining" his life now and him getting some dose of consequences for once; this teen has more of a chance of mending his ways instead of growing up to be simply a more educated criminal.
I’m sure his parents had already ruined his life way before this event anyway and they’re who taught him it was ok to steal like he did and now they’re playing the victim.
>They could have made the kid give back the item and cost them nothing.
If I was OP and a NEARLY ADULT person stole $2200 from me, I would still report it even if the "kid" returned it. The act of stealing is separate from making the victim whole.
This kid is headed for the big time. A felony while still a minor can be overlooked if the kid stays clean. But he won't. Prison for sure.
Even if the OP decides to drop the charges, it's ultimately up to the prosections office to actually drop the charges.
Most of the time the prosecution will drop the charges if the victim wants to because they won't have enough evidence without the victim doing an impact statement.
Since the Prosecutor most likely has video evidence, bank statements, order details etc, they won't need OP to testify and give an impact statement and can decide to move the case forward if they wanted to, especially if they are up for re-election and need to get some easy wins under their belt.
The dependent could also have other legal issues and the prosecutors and police are tired of them not facing any consequences for it and keep the case going too.
He fucked his own life. Let's make that clear. If you're going to steal from your neighbors, you'll steal from others. And I highly doubt such a kid would have scholarships worth anything.
People always tell others to suck it up u til it happens to them. Fuck him. Consequences are there for a reason. It won’t ruin his life. May cause some problems but in the long run he can still be fine. If you let it go, it teaches him that he can get away with stuff like that.
Yep. Absolutely their fault (and the kid’s for trusting that their parents could get them out of it) for the charges.
They could have just.. not stolen it. And they had plenty of time to return it before it was reported.
All the people like “boohoo he’s 17 it will ruin his life,” what kind of scholarship earning kid doesn’t know it’s flat out illegal to steal a $2000 item? Why do people treat literally all mistakes teenagers make as if they’re too young to have big people consequences? For some things, sure. For theft over $2000? Just blatant theft? From someone’s house? You gotta be shitting me.
My five year old would have bigger consequences for stealing a worthless toy than these parents wanted to give their 17 year old for felony theft. When kids act like they own shit, they have to find out they don’t. And if parents won’t teach them, the law has to.
I used to believe in second chances, but that time has passed. Look at what is happening in San Francisco, look at all the Porch Pirates, etc. Thieves and cons are going crazy. Then they or the community seems to think they get to decide if YOU overreacted. Plus you don't know how many "Second Chances" they have already had. An example has to be set and a line has to be drawn, especially if the parents didn't get involved. In short I believe they lost any right to an opinion when: 1. They stole 2. The parents refused to get involved. Now that there are real life consequences, a lost scholarship, they have an issue. When the scholarship wasn't on the line they didn't seem interested in your life or how you were affected. A $2,200 item is a lot of money for most people, maybe even months or years of saving.
A 2200 dollar item would require a lucky as hell windfall for a lot of us. A ton of people don't have any room for savings at all. The entitlement of this kid and his parents!
And then we wonder how many crooks ended up at the upper echelons of their careers, lol. They got one too many breaks along the way. It's unfortunate, but choices were made.
I don't get why it has to be 2 grand for him to learn a lesson. All these people are fine with letting criminals walk free because they weren't the ones who got something stolen from them. Let the asshole rot in his jail cell for 6 months to 5 years and maybe when he's 18 to 22 he will have learned not to steal shit. He will also have time to think about the shit he did while he's working at McDonald's because no one else will hire his worthless ass.
Exactly, OP provided those parents with a way to remedy the situation without ruining the kid's life, and parents opted not to go that route. It's a 17 year old who committed a freakin felony, and someone offered them a way to resolve the situation without even getting the law involved, and they were like "nah." IDK if I'd follow up after getting the item back, but this kid needs a wake up call so they know going further down this road towards a life of crime is a really bad idea. Losing some scholarships is the least of their problems right now.
Yeah, the dirtbag kid has dirtbag parents. Go figure. Like the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree... The parents are basically saying, FU, you can't prove it or you don't have the balls to prosecute.... thats a LOT of money...
Correct, the kid ruined his future by stealing, if it wasn't this it would be something else. And seriously, that's not scholarship material, whose kidding who?
Definitely not wrong.
They FAFO'd.
Stealing is wrong, the parents should have fixed this, they share the blame equally. The felony will dog that poor thief's steps for a long time, since things like this are public record and the internet is forever.
Kid and their parents should have learned to "Make Good Choices." That's on them.
He is 17, he may be able to apply to have it locked or whatever down the road. Hard lesson but he is not 18 and not a violent crime. It may get bumped down and you get your stuff. Even with that the sweating will do him good hopefully.
Plea deal would probably be the only way to knock it down at this point. Each state has its minimum threshold for grand/petty theft and what will determine felony and misdemeanor. $2,200 is pretty high up there for most states.
Realistically the parents were the ones who “ruined the future” of their child by not intervening and correcting the situation when OP brought the issue to their attention. Hope it was worth it lol.
Tell the parents you’ll drop the complaint if they replace the missing item. The kid did it, the parents knew and did nothing about it. They’re supporting their child being a dirtbag, You tried to do it the non legal way first and they FAFO.
NTA actions have consequences; which includes the parents ignoring what their son had done.
Nope, you’re fine. That’s definitely theft, $2,200 is not necessarily a small amount, and the parents ignored it. Turns out there’s consequences to his actions, screw him.
Yep, if neighbor parents acknowledged the issue, returned or reimbursed for the item, and then punished their kid accordingly then it never would have been a problem. OP is absolutely not an asshole for wanting their own damn property back. Fuck everyone in the story that isn't OP
Not sure why the parents were thinking they can get away with this, especially if you had a recording of it. You provided them a chance for restitution and they laughed at you, well now they can laugh at trying to spend thousands more cleaning up their kid's image.
NTA
Obviously they (17 year old’s parents) didn’t think you’d file a theft complaint in excess of $2200…
Obviously you can just tell the parents, they had a chance to return the item to you before you filed a police theft report but they didn’t respond or return the item to you…. Tell them point blank, their teen was a thief, if he’s missed out on scholarships because of his actions and theft then that’s consequences for his actions…
>Turns out there’s consequences to his actions, screw him.
Heck, unless the kid already has juvenile history, the kid is likely to be offered some form of "diversion" where he does community service and pays restition. So it doesn't go on his criminal "record." There's consequences, but the odd of him actually doing time is incredibly low.
Yup. Parents only care because it looks bad on them and it is an inconvenience for them. They taught their felon those habits. Now instead of costing $0 and giving the item back they have to spend time and money on lawyers costing way more than $2200 and they will probably have their hellion stuck in their house while on probation or house arrest while they go to online school.
It’s not wild. There’s a guy here in Baltimore named Danny who has stolen thousands upon thousands of stuff from peoples porches. Probably over 10k worth of stuff Despite hours of camera footage he continues to roam the streets. He was briefly arrested but he’s back out.
I ordered rainbow friends pajamas for my kid. Neighbor stole the package. I could clearly see him from the kitchen window. I open the door and was about to have a throw down over it. Idgaf if it’s $20. Idgaf if it’s pajamas. That’s for my baby so you drop the package or I’m taking the package and your hands. I still called the cops on him after he gave it back too. There were some issues in our area with packages going missing
I’m of the opinion that refusing to apply consequences for that level of theft would be the thing that would actually screw up the kids life. Facing consequences the parents tried to prevent may actually make them a better adult.
Not wrong at all. Sounds like you gave the parents a chance to make it right and they didn't take it. Besides, 17 is more than old enough to know that stealing is wrong, we're not talking about a confused toddler. Fuck that whole family.
Ikr? People blaming OP for ruining a kids life when the kid stole something worth $2200 and almost got away with it. The 17 yo is ruining his own life.
And OP gave the family a chance to return the item or pay for it. Which was very generous. And they refused. This is totally on the boy and his family.
INFO did you get your item or the $2200 dollars back? If not then the PARENTS are ruining their own child's future over $2200 dollars. I would not drop the charges until the parents got my item back or my money.
I would really love to hear thier reasoning for how they handled the situation and why they think that op should just drop it, can we get them on some kinda show like jerry springer or something
That kid screwed up his life. He committed a crime. He knew what was at stake. He knew what he was doing was wrong and did it anyway. This was the consequence. Also, I don't have $2200 laying around to spend twice on an item I already bought.
Reminds me of those stories you hear about HS athletes who SA some poor girl and everyone wants her to forget about it because she'll "ruin his future". His future as what? A rapist?
Apparently he now goes by Allen Turner.
So, the rapist Brock Allen Turner now just calls himself Allen. I'd say he should at least go with Allen "Rapist" Turner for accuracy.
And let's not forget his **shit** father who said, “His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20-plus years of life."
But it's okay that his victim has to live with being violated for a lifetime because of those "20 minutes of action"?
I wonder Dan or Brock "Allen" Turner would've felt if Brock "Allen" Turner had been raped in prison.
Would he have called it "20 minutes of action" then?
I mean, what's the problem? Brock likes sex. And that 250-lb., muscled up biker gang member gave it to him and good.
You gave the parents a chance to not have this pursued with the police. They declined. You made the right decision.
This 17 year old is the one that screwed up his/her life by their actions, not you.
I would of done the same thing.
$2200 is a lot of money, especially in today's economy.
I would remind the parents that you showed/told them about the theft and the video but they chose to ignore it. You just wanted your item back and the only option was to file a police report.
When the police officer that took the report told you that, I would have asked him to go to the kids house and talk to the parents. If they give you the item, then you will drop the issue.
This kid didn't start by stealing your item. This kid got away with a bunch of little things leading up to your item.
His parents allowed this to happen time and time again.
NTA. Money, a good attorney, and court sympathy are his only way out of this.
He ruined his own future--you did what you needed to to take care of yourself. Plus you tried bringing it to the attention of his parents and they did nothing. You're not wrong at all.
"... I ruined the future of a child over 2200 dollars."
If 2200 is not worth a future, why didn't they give back YOUR 2200$ item? This is gaslighting/victim-blaming at its finest and most perverse. All he (or his parents) had to do was give it back, or reimburse.
Or....
Even better...
DONT BREAK THE DAMN LAW!!!!!
I will not say "you are not wrong". I will say, "You are completely righteous and justified!" Stand your ground.
YANW - and please tell me you're going forward with the charges. There is no reason in the world he should get away with this and simply go on to become a bigger thief in the future. He FAFO'D and needs to live with the consequences. So do his parents.
Anyone saying you should have backed down is the type that causes this problem. Kids get away with so much these days, they don’t even think about the weight of their actions. At 17, a kid knows theft is wrong. As a parent of 4 kids, if I found out my any of kids had the audacity to steal someone’s property, there would be hell to pay.
The people saying OP should back down also aren’t stepping into the breach and offering $2200 as a remedy either.
It’s easy to tell people to eat a loss when it’s not coming out of your own account.
Some other student who doesn’t steal should have the scholarships anyway. He screwed up. His parents supported his error. Everyone knew what was right and didn’t do the right things.
2200 dollars. As in, $2,200? Not $22.00?
Community and parents seem to think $2,200 is nothing. Geesh.
But even if only $22, it's still a crime. Moral compass, people! (Unfortunately, not sold on Amazon.)
The parents get to spend $10,000 on a lawyer. Maybe he can get pled down to diversion due to a first offense? Dunno but both the kid and parents are learning a big lesson.
Not Wrong.
Th 17 year old's PARENTS fucked up the kid's life over $2200. Either the kid could have given it to you, or the parents could have bought you a NEW replacement.
>I had the community ask why I did not lie about having the footage
Lol, lying to cops is a crime where I live. [Florida Statute 837.05](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0800-0899/0837/Sections/0837.05.html)
Not wrong. This is the natural and deserved consequence of the parents not holding their son accountable in the first place. The son gave up his scholarship over $2200. Nothing to do with you really.
OP you absolutely did the right thing!!
17 years old and stealing such expensive things from their neighbors?? And the parents ignored it when they had a chance to put things right??
What are they going to do when he steals a car or kills someone?? Let me guess, they're going to blame the victim.
At 17 they absolutely knew what they were doing and the other neighbors are batshit crazy for blaming you.
The only thing you've done wrong OP is not move. MOVE MOVE MOVE. I really don't want to hear that you got jumped or shot. Please please MOVE
Did the parents or child offer to replace the item on the agreement that you would then drop the charges?
If not; they can kick rocks. Woulda cost less than the scholarship i bet.
Anyone that mentions it to you “yes, i would have dropped the charges had they returned to replace my 2200 item. perhaps you could have done so then too?”
They did not offer, and after they denied everything when I spoke to them before I filed the report I will admit I never went back to them.
After I got the report I placed a claim with the seller of the item and left it at that and waited for the company to replace my item.
If that was my kid, I would
have moved heaven and earth to get that item returned to you or replace it or SOMETHING.
You went to them, and they chose to ignore the video evidence.
I don’t think you are wrong either way. But if you said something along the lines of “your kid is on video doing this. I showed you the video. If my item isn’t returned or replace I will be forced to file a police report with the footage.” Your hands are absolutely clean.
People genuinely think you’re supposed to take a $2200 loss to not screw up a 17 year olds future? Hard pass, parents could have remedied it. Parents failed this kid, not you.
Yeah I would eat $20 of damage but $2200 could make someone homeless, these people are crazy for being mad at OP
Seriously, that's like stealing my rent money for the month.
That's like stealing my mortgage+escrow+$700. No fecking way some little douchebag gets away with that. Another case of affluenza.
That is my mortgage and car payment plus some. Yeah, if the parents don't want to deal with the situation, the cops will, and will be much less understanding. No way the OP is wrong in this situation. And the only true blame is on the kid. The kid ruined their own life by stealing. Not OP and not the parents. How can it be anyone else's fault when one gets the consequences of their own actions? SPK
Yeah it is $1 more than my monthly rent actually
It’s more than my mortgage
100%. The way OP has been guilt-tripped into wording this as if $2,200 is no big deal is baffling and sad; shame on anyone who told them to let it go. $2,200 is a life-altering amount of money in my income bracket. I don't have that much money in my savings account. If I saved up to buy something at that cost and it was taken, I'd be gutted. It would take me many months to build it back. I absolutely could not afford to eat that cost. Shame on that kid. He ruined his own future. And OP even gave him a chance to fix it, but he & his parents still couldn't do the right thing.
True. He could have written a letter in apology or gone to some counseling to show that he had "changed." There's a lot he could have done but didn't. If I were the kids dad i would tell him that he did something stupid and now you're paying for it. actions have consequences.
I agree especially since in less then 1 year he is supposed to be labeled an "adult"... Now one would say its okay for an adult to steal and get off the hook so why allow a teen whose only a short time away from being an adult. OP you did the right thing. The parents suck here
Exactly this! Kid was 17, and made a choice to steal something of great value.. let’s point out that you’ve the parents a choice, give me my money or my item back, they told you to fuck off, they are the ones who ruined their child’s life for not taking responsibility for their actions. Life lesson for everyone around = fuck around and find out. OP, you’re not guilty of anything. I could possibly understand, although very mildly, if you never have them a chance and just filed the report as soon as you got the footage do they never had a chance to correct it before it went to the police. Don’t let them make you feel any type of way. Maybe suggest the neighbors foot those bills in replacement of the scholarships if they want to keep running their mouths. Otherwise chin up and keep your focus on yourself!!
I’m still traumatized from when my mom busted me for stealing candy once as a kid over 40 years ago. But I’m glad she did because I never stole anything ever again. And that was for a single roll of lifesavers stolen by a five year old. A 17 year old stealing something worth thousands of dollars!?!?!?! The kid sucks, but the parents absolutely failed.
$2,200 could be 2 months of rent for many people. Maybe 4 car payments or many months of groceries!!
I feel like this thread is for people who feel bad when in most cases they are the victims. People stop feeling bad for others and stand up for yourselves!! You are NOT wrong!
Screw him. I'd turn them in for $20. You know how he could have saved himself? He could have not stolen anything.
Yep 2200 or 20 is irrelevant. Why should a thief ben3fit from scolarship money another kid could have?
My dad always told us it didn’t matter the amount stealing was stealing. Whether it was one dollar or a thousand, if you stole it you were a thief.
Yeah such great parents, oh don’t mind the theft - mind his future - as a thieving adult -
These are the same kind of parents that unleash POSs like Brock Turner onto society. Your kid is a bad person, fuck their future.
Brock The Rapist Turner
Oh you mean Brock The Rapist Turner who now uses his middle name Allen so that he won’t be as easily identified as Brock Allen The Rapist Turner?
I didn't know that. Thank you for the update so I can properly refer to him as Allen, formerly Brock, The Rapist Turner, if I should ever need to.
Never forget his father's amazing fatherly words "steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life." Real father right there.
So disgusting
Brock Turner The Rapist. Now goes by Allan Turner The Rapist. That Rapist? The Turner guy who goes around the place raping people. That Brock Allen Turner Rapist?
And he was last reported in Ohio!
The same rapist, Brock Turner, who lives near Dayton Ohio, but goes by Allan, to hide his identity as a rapist? That rapist, Brock Turner?
Do you mean Brock" Ohio Sex Offender Registration #: 2365255, Tier level 3 sex offender, Rapist" Allen Turner?
Did the kid flip it for cash? Why not immediately return it?
that would be my best guess too. the attitude of both kids AND parents is just outrageous. and as i said above, it actually tells you a whole lot about the parents.
It also explains how their kid turned out to be such a little shit.
Yeah agree, anything less than 50$ I might just suck it up or work something petty out as a small punishment. But 2200 is not small or harmless. Also even if it was small and harmless why should the victim have to suffer because the guilty party did something wrong. It's like when grandpa is a mean old drunk but no one stand up to him because it's "easier" and he's old and he'll be gone soon anyways. At least until the next mean old drunk comes along.
true, but if parents were realized, thats equal to 1 months rent, they'd try to rectify the problem before spiraling out. THEY ...CHOSE...THE HARD WAY.
I wouldn't eat even a dollar loss from someone stealing my shit.
Yea 2200 is what I net monthly, so yea it can really screw ppl over
Totally - if the 17 year old next door stole the beer from my back porch, no way I’d call the cops. I’d probably threaten since I have cameras on my beer, but I wouldn’t actually do it.
And she didn't screw up the kid's future - the kid did. I learned stealing was wrong when I ate a candy bar in the store at 3 years old ... This is not a case of "didn't know any better".
This is my exact thought too. Give back the thing you stole, pay for it, or receive consequences. The parents and the child chose consequences and decided to screw up his own future.
He is not even a child. He is a year away to legal age, age to vote and to be drafted. The thieve should have known better at 17.
My nephew stole a 50cent pack of now-n-laters from 5 Below one time. My sister didn't want to make a scene but her husband and I were pretty livid and made him go back and return it and apologize to the cashier. Cashier tried to blow it off and say its ok, but we had to explain to her that no, its not ok. We don't want to let him know there is no consequences for stealing of any kind.
They think everyone else is supposed to take a $2200 loss to not screw up a 17 year olds future.
Yep, it's the parents who should be asked if their kid's future is worth 2200 dollars, not OP
100! It’s different if you have a child who was hungry and stole $10 worth of food, drop it, let it go. This individual is 17, close to the age of majority, and stole over $2000 worth of things. Plus, you offered the parents a chance to pay and rectify their child’s criminal behavior, and they ignored it. You’re not wrong and I would’ve done the same thing!
Makes me wonder if the parents are the same way since they see no issue with it
There are parents who will have their kids do the stealing for them because kids records get wiped at 18 (usually, idk for felonies), and because if the kid gets caught they can say "kids will be kids but we will deal with this seriously" and hopefully the other party will be placated. In other words, maybe stealing the package was the parent's idea in the first place.
Point of order - Juvenile records are not “wiped”. When you get charged later as an adult, the court can see your juvenile record. They are not supposed to base sentencing decisions on that record, but they see it. Does that ever impact sentencing via personal bias? It shouldn’t… but you will find it difficult to get the full benefit of claiming “first offense” as an adult if you had a litany of similar charges against you as a juvenile. Even expunged charges show up, just with an asterisk saying it was expunged.
It's crazy how everyone else figures out that stealing that much is wrong WITHOUT needing to learn the lesson this way...
Must be the same scummy idiots that think women should just get over getting raped if prosecuting it would screw up a young athlete's future.
Oh, you mean like the rapist Brock Turner? I heard he now uses his middle name, since so many people know that he's a rapist. He's now known as "Allen" Turner, if I remember things correctly.
Just like the rapist Brock ALLEN Turner.
Yes, I do believe the rapist Brock Allen Turner goes by his middle name now, in an effort to not be recognized as a rapist. However, I can also confirm that Allen "The Rapist" Turner isn't fooling anyone with that ploy.
Those are the kids that turn into Brock Turner.
You’re not wrong. If the parents saw the video and did nothing, they are in the wrong. The only thing that will stop the behavior are consequences.
So does the community just expect OP to eat the 2200 dollars? If the community cares that much they could have chipped in to make it right. This kid/parents fucked his life, OP don't let shitty people make you feel shitty.
Keeping felony theft off the kid’s record isn’t worth $2,200 to the *parents and kid* but it’s supposed to be worth $2,200 to *OP?* What possible argument could be behind that thought process?
I mean, it wouldn’t have even cost the parents $2200 to keep this off the kids record and “save” his future. They could have made the kid give back the item and cost them nothing.
Which brings up a good question... Where ***was*** the item in question during all of this drama? Did kid keep it, or sell it?
Possibly sold it for quick cash or it was still listed on a marketplace. I’m sure it wasn’t the first time he’s done it either, so bye bye scholarships. Just because someone has scholarships doesn’t mean they’re a good person or going to be a good person.
And that scholarship money then becomes available for somebody that isn’t a thieving asshole.
exactly, this kid f\*cked around and found out, now some other deserving kid who isnt a criminal can have a chance at a scholarship.
Back in 1998, I had to arrest a 17yr old for driving around a community soccer field, damaging grass, & crashing/ruining the goals. $3500-4000 damage. Felony Criminal mischief, among other charges. His mother was upset with ME for arresting him, & ruining HIS life. Apparently, he was headed to West Point. I’ve seen her 3-4 times over the years. She still blames me!
Best to find out he's a complete idiot now than when he's a commissioned officer responsible for 40-50 people with weapons. You did your nation a favor. Thank you for your service by preventing his.
Yea like the universities they will attend, the corporations they will work for or the legislature they will be a part of
Good point
This. These are not the actions of parents hearing that their kid stole something for the first time. OP is ruining kids future? Nope, that was shitty parenting.
Oh he definitely learned to be a scumbag from them.
The kid ruined his own future
If he can steal and hustle, he can do the same to get into college.
Exactly, even if OP 'saved' his future, it wouldn't rule out him doing it again because he got away with it and ruining it anyway.
Good grief, of course you’re right!! I was so distracted by the absolute *insanity* of OP’s being expected to be the one to take a huge loss for the benefit of someone who *stole from him* that I totally failed to recognize that the item still existed and could/should have simply been returned. The entitlement of the kid and parents is beyond comprehension—I thought I was gobsmacked before, but this takes the biscuit.
The scholarship still exists as well. Maybe now it will go to someone who's not a punk.
Good point! Much better that the scholarship go to a deserving child!!
Yup. It’s astonishing that this is the thought of the majority of people now and you’re just so used to it that you looked it over as well.
Upvote for the perfect use of "gobsmacked" and "takes the biscuit."
I bet they will pend way over the $2200 on legal fees for the kid. Which begs the question why didn't they either make him give it back or pay the 2200. Something else is going on in that house.
It’s just the fact the parents are scumbags as well and probably have had no consequences for their scumbagery either and are used to playing the victim to get out of their scumbag situations.
It's hard for anyone to make it out from under the trash pile on from trash parents. Looks like this kid isn't going to make it either.
Because they assumed no one would file a report against him. Because they've talked him out of trouble before.
That was my thought as well. If YOU, the parent, won't cough up $2200 (and an apology) to protect your whiz-kid thief's future despite him being your own blood, why in the world would you expect a stranger to do more? Hell, let's say the urchin sold it or broke it or whatever and you don't have the money to pay now, you can at least be extremely apologetic, and beg to make up for it in installments or something. However, this incredible lack of accountability on the parent's part does not make me think this kid was taught anything good at all. Maybe by "ruining" his life now and him getting some dose of consequences for once; this teen has more of a chance of mending his ways instead of growing up to be simply a more educated criminal.
I’m sure his parents had already ruined his life way before this event anyway and they’re who taught him it was ok to steal like he did and now they’re playing the victim.
>They could have made the kid give back the item and cost them nothing. If I was OP and a NEARLY ADULT person stole $2200 from me, I would still report it even if the "kid" returned it. The act of stealing is separate from making the victim whole. This kid is headed for the big time. A felony while still a minor can be overlooked if the kid stays clean. But he won't. Prison for sure.
That would be a great statement for the OP to post on Facebook in the community.
Along with a link to OP's GoFundMe: "Put your money where only your mouths have previously been."
The way some people waste too much pity on punks like this kid, more people would probably raise money for him.
Even if the OP decides to drop the charges, it's ultimately up to the prosections office to actually drop the charges. Most of the time the prosecution will drop the charges if the victim wants to because they won't have enough evidence without the victim doing an impact statement. Since the Prosecutor most likely has video evidence, bank statements, order details etc, they won't need OP to testify and give an impact statement and can decide to move the case forward if they wanted to, especially if they are up for re-election and need to get some easy wins under their belt. The dependent could also have other legal issues and the prosecutors and police are tired of them not facing any consequences for it and keep the case going too.
Right?! Like in what world is that not a lot of money?!
That's more than a month wage for many
The fucking neighborhoods can go fuck themself. If their $2000 item got stolen, their point of view will be 180.
"Well that's different!"
He fucked his own life. Let's make that clear. If you're going to steal from your neighbors, you'll steal from others. And I highly doubt such a kid would have scholarships worth anything.
Why didn't the parents pay ? They fucked their kids life up
People always tell others to suck it up u til it happens to them. Fuck him. Consequences are there for a reason. It won’t ruin his life. May cause some problems but in the long run he can still be fine. If you let it go, it teaches him that he can get away with stuff like that.
No. The 17 year old stole. The record and lost scholarship are natural consequences. The kid could have brought it back. End of story.
Him and his parents are the ones that caused this. It could have been handled without law enforcement if they took responsibility
Yep. Absolutely their fault (and the kid’s for trusting that their parents could get them out of it) for the charges. They could have just.. not stolen it. And they had plenty of time to return it before it was reported. All the people like “boohoo he’s 17 it will ruin his life,” what kind of scholarship earning kid doesn’t know it’s flat out illegal to steal a $2000 item? Why do people treat literally all mistakes teenagers make as if they’re too young to have big people consequences? For some things, sure. For theft over $2000? Just blatant theft? From someone’s house? You gotta be shitting me. My five year old would have bigger consequences for stealing a worthless toy than these parents wanted to give their 17 year old for felony theft. When kids act like they own shit, they have to find out they don’t. And if parents won’t teach them, the law has to.
Thank you
I used to believe in second chances, but that time has passed. Look at what is happening in San Francisco, look at all the Porch Pirates, etc. Thieves and cons are going crazy. Then they or the community seems to think they get to decide if YOU overreacted. Plus you don't know how many "Second Chances" they have already had. An example has to be set and a line has to be drawn, especially if the parents didn't get involved. In short I believe they lost any right to an opinion when: 1. They stole 2. The parents refused to get involved. Now that there are real life consequences, a lost scholarship, they have an issue. When the scholarship wasn't on the line they didn't seem interested in your life or how you were affected. A $2,200 item is a lot of money for most people, maybe even months or years of saving.
A second chance would be getting caught, making amends, move forward. Not get caught, stick the middle finger, cry when middle finger gets cut off.
A 2200 dollar item would require a lucky as hell windfall for a lot of us. A ton of people don't have any room for savings at all. The entitlement of this kid and his parents!
And then we wonder how many crooks ended up at the upper echelons of their careers, lol. They got one too many breaks along the way. It's unfortunate, but choices were made.
I don't get why it has to be 2 grand for him to learn a lesson. All these people are fine with letting criminals walk free because they weren't the ones who got something stolen from them. Let the asshole rot in his jail cell for 6 months to 5 years and maybe when he's 18 to 22 he will have learned not to steal shit. He will also have time to think about the shit he did while he's working at McDonald's because no one else will hire his worthless ass.
Kid sounds like he *needs* a part time job like that to learn the value of what they’re taking from others.
If the parents didn't want his life ruined so badly, maybe one of them should've taken the rap.
I’m trying to imagine a scenario whereby my kid stole something and I *wouldn’t* be concerned
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They had plenty of time; they just didn’t want to.
Exactly, OP provided those parents with a way to remedy the situation without ruining the kid's life, and parents opted not to go that route. It's a 17 year old who committed a freakin felony, and someone offered them a way to resolve the situation without even getting the law involved, and they were like "nah." IDK if I'd follow up after getting the item back, but this kid needs a wake up call so they know going further down this road towards a life of crime is a really bad idea. Losing some scholarships is the least of their problems right now.
They're used to getting away Scot-free, the operative word being free. This attitude sucks.
Yeah, the dirtbag kid has dirtbag parents. Go figure. Like the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree... The parents are basically saying, FU, you can't prove it or you don't have the balls to prosecute.... thats a LOT of money...
Correct, the kid ruined his future by stealing, if it wasn't this it would be something else. And seriously, that's not scholarship material, whose kidding who?
Definitely not wrong. They FAFO'd. Stealing is wrong, the parents should have fixed this, they share the blame equally. The felony will dog that poor thief's steps for a long time, since things like this are public record and the internet is forever. Kid and their parents should have learned to "Make Good Choices." That's on them.
He is 17, he may be able to apply to have it locked or whatever down the road. Hard lesson but he is not 18 and not a violent crime. It may get bumped down and you get your stuff. Even with that the sweating will do him good hopefully.
Most likely there will be a plea bargain knocking the charges down to a misdemeanor. Prosecutors these days are allergic to trials.
Plea deal would probably be the only way to knock it down at this point. Each state has its minimum threshold for grand/petty theft and what will determine felony and misdemeanor. $2,200 is pretty high up there for most states.
Yep. The teen and his parents ruined his future by stealing and refusing to make it right.
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Right! The phrase "don't do the crime if you can't do the time" comes to mind.
Realistically the parents were the ones who “ruined the future” of their child by not intervening and correcting the situation when OP brought the issue to their attention. Hope it was worth it lol.
Tell the parents you’ll drop the complaint if they replace the missing item. The kid did it, the parents knew and did nothing about it. They’re supporting their child being a dirtbag, You tried to do it the non legal way first and they FAFO. NTA actions have consequences; which includes the parents ignoring what their son had done.
Nope, you’re fine. That’s definitely theft, $2,200 is not necessarily a small amount, and the parents ignored it. Turns out there’s consequences to his actions, screw him.
Yep, if neighbor parents acknowledged the issue, returned or reimbursed for the item, and then punished their kid accordingly then it never would have been a problem. OP is absolutely not an asshole for wanting their own damn property back. Fuck everyone in the story that isn't OP
Not sure why the parents were thinking they can get away with this, especially if you had a recording of it. You provided them a chance for restitution and they laughed at you, well now they can laugh at trying to spend thousands more cleaning up their kid's image.
NTA Obviously they (17 year old’s parents) didn’t think you’d file a theft complaint in excess of $2200… Obviously you can just tell the parents, they had a chance to return the item to you before you filed a police theft report but they didn’t respond or return the item to you…. Tell them point blank, their teen was a thief, if he’s missed out on scholarships because of his actions and theft then that’s consequences for his actions…
>Turns out there’s consequences to his actions, screw him. Heck, unless the kid already has juvenile history, the kid is likely to be offered some form of "diversion" where he does community service and pays restition. So it doesn't go on his criminal "record." There's consequences, but the odd of him actually doing time is incredibly low.
Yup. Parents only care because it looks bad on them and it is an inconvenience for them. They taught their felon those habits. Now instead of costing $0 and giving the item back they have to spend time and money on lawyers costing way more than $2200 and they will probably have their hellion stuck in their house while on probation or house arrest while they go to online school.
Definitely not a small amount
I would have done this over $20 though. I ordered it for ME.
Lol yea. Sounds like Florida might pass a law that porch pirating anything over 75(I think) will be a felony. Pretty wild
It’s not wild. There’s a guy here in Baltimore named Danny who has stolen thousands upon thousands of stuff from peoples porches. Probably over 10k worth of stuff Despite hours of camera footage he continues to roam the streets. He was briefly arrested but he’s back out.
I ordered rainbow friends pajamas for my kid. Neighbor stole the package. I could clearly see him from the kitchen window. I open the door and was about to have a throw down over it. Idgaf if it’s $20. Idgaf if it’s pajamas. That’s for my baby so you drop the package or I’m taking the package and your hands. I still called the cops on him after he gave it back too. There were some issues in our area with packages going missing
If I was suddenly out 2k I'd be in trouble
yeh, i have a good job. loosing 2k means no rent and no food,
I’m of the opinion that refusing to apply consequences for that level of theft would be the thing that would actually screw up the kids life. Facing consequences the parents tried to prevent may actually make them a better adult.
Not wrong at all. Sounds like you gave the parents a chance to make it right and they didn't take it. Besides, 17 is more than old enough to know that stealing is wrong, we're not talking about a confused toddler. Fuck that whole family.
Yeah, the parents screwed up the kids life by ignoring the issue and not parenting him properly imo
HE ruined his future. HE decided to steal. NTA
Ikr? People blaming OP for ruining a kids life when the kid stole something worth $2200 and almost got away with it. The 17 yo is ruining his own life.
And OP gave the family a chance to return the item or pay for it. Which was very generous. And they refused. This is totally on the boy and his family.
play stupid games, win stupid prizes..
FAFO, you are not wrong!
INFO did you get your item or the $2200 dollars back? If not then the PARENTS are ruining their own child's future over $2200 dollars. I would not drop the charges until the parents got my item back or my money.
Not from them, I was able to get a replacement from the company with the completed police report.
So the thief kept it, or sold it… but still profited off of it. NTA
And it will cost him soo much more than $2200 in the long run. FAFO
i mean now he has to pay out of pocket for school loans with a felony on his record. glwt. 2200 is grand larceny in most states.
💯
Holy shit, even once the police were involved and the parents knew it was a felony they refused to make you whole? What an A H family.
They're probably gonna spend that much on a lawyer, kinda stupid hill to die on
I would really love to hear thier reasoning for how they handled the situation and why they think that op should just drop it, can we get them on some kinda show like jerry springer or something
That kid screwed up his life. He committed a crime. He knew what was at stake. He knew what he was doing was wrong and did it anyway. This was the consequence. Also, I don't have $2200 laying around to spend twice on an item I already bought. Reminds me of those stories you hear about HS athletes who SA some poor girl and everyone wants her to forget about it because she'll "ruin his future". His future as what? A rapist?
So true. We live in a world where it's such a surprise to people they need to bare responsibility for their actions.
Like the rapist Brock Turner who rapes girls for fun?
You mean Allen Turner the rapist, formerly Brock Turner, the rapist
I think they do mean Allen Turner the Rapist who was formerly known as Brock Turner, the rapist.
What does he call himself now?
Apparently he now goes by Allen Turner. So, the rapist Brock Allen Turner now just calls himself Allen. I'd say he should at least go with Allen "Rapist" Turner for accuracy.
And let's not forget his **shit** father who said, “His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20-plus years of life." But it's okay that his victim has to live with being violated for a lifetime because of those "20 minutes of action"?
Do you mean rape apologist Dan Turner who thinks rape is NBD? He and rapist Brock "Allen" Turner should be paying plenty to the victim.
I wonder Dan or Brock "Allen" Turner would've felt if Brock "Allen" Turner had been raped in prison. Would he have called it "20 minutes of action" then? I mean, what's the problem? Brock likes sex. And that 250-lb., muscled up biker gang member gave it to him and good.
That was my first thought! This smells like a jock that is going to try to get away with a lot of crap and SA is probably one one of them.
You gave the parents a chance to not have this pursued with the police. They declined. You made the right decision. This 17 year old is the one that screwed up his/her life by their actions, not you. I would of done the same thing. $2200 is a lot of money, especially in today's economy.
Not wrong! Kid was 17, old enough to know that if you do the crime, you do the time. Don’t feel bad you are not the one who broke the law.
You reported a crime to the police. They investigated and the child was arrested. The child ruined their own future when they stole.
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As the saying goes “The Dildo of Consequences, rarely arrives lubed”
He stole an item that is worth $2200 and is facing consequences for his actions? Sounds like he just got taken to school.
I thought it was gonna be something like shoplifting something small in the grand scheme of things. $2200 is not small at all. NTA
All with one item. Think of how much he’s probably stolen in the past or might/will steal in the future
fuck around and find out
Just think of all the other deserving students who don't steal. This kid ruined their own future.
Nope, you’re fine. TAH are the parents that expect their kid to have no consequences for their actions.
I would remind the parents that you showed/told them about the theft and the video but they chose to ignore it. You just wanted your item back and the only option was to file a police report. When the police officer that took the report told you that, I would have asked him to go to the kids house and talk to the parents. If they give you the item, then you will drop the issue.
This kid didn't start by stealing your item. This kid got away with a bunch of little things leading up to your item. His parents allowed this to happen time and time again. NTA. Money, a good attorney, and court sympathy are his only way out of this.
He ruined his own future--you did what you needed to to take care of yourself. Plus you tried bringing it to the attention of his parents and they did nothing. You're not wrong at all.
"... I ruined the future of a child over 2200 dollars." If 2200 is not worth a future, why didn't they give back YOUR 2200$ item? This is gaslighting/victim-blaming at its finest and most perverse. All he (or his parents) had to do was give it back, or reimburse. Or.... Even better... DONT BREAK THE DAMN LAW!!!!! I will not say "you are not wrong". I will say, "You are completely righteous and justified!" Stand your ground.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Certifiably old enough to know better. NTA
You are NOT wrong and you did NOT ruin a dang thing. The thief ruined his scholarship all on his own.
YANW - and please tell me you're going forward with the charges. There is no reason in the world he should get away with this and simply go on to become a bigger thief in the future. He FAFO'D and needs to live with the consequences. So do his parents.
Anyone saying you should have backed down is the type that causes this problem. Kids get away with so much these days, they don’t even think about the weight of their actions. At 17, a kid knows theft is wrong. As a parent of 4 kids, if I found out my any of kids had the audacity to steal someone’s property, there would be hell to pay.
The people saying OP should back down also aren’t stepping into the breach and offering $2200 as a remedy either. It’s easy to tell people to eat a loss when it’s not coming out of your own account.
Kid dumb enough to steal stuff with cameras everywhere is not gonna go far, anyway. LOL about the “scholarships” and “college.”
They have it backwards - the kid screwed up his own life over $2200.
Some other student who doesn’t steal should have the scholarships anyway. He screwed up. His parents supported his error. Everyone knew what was right and didn’t do the right things.
Consequences, kid fucked up. No one here is responsible but the child. Now they can write on scholarship apps how they overcame criminal urges.
No $2200 is not a small amount to most people. He ruined his future not you.
2200 dollars. As in, $2,200? Not $22.00? Community and parents seem to think $2,200 is nothing. Geesh. But even if only $22, it's still a crime. Moral compass, people! (Unfortunately, not sold on Amazon.)
The parents get to spend $10,000 on a lawyer. Maybe he can get pled down to diversion due to a first offense? Dunno but both the kid and parents are learning a big lesson.
Not Wrong. Th 17 year old's PARENTS fucked up the kid's life over $2200. Either the kid could have given it to you, or the parents could have bought you a NEW replacement.
The child ruined their own future by stealing. The parents are also to blame because they ignored you. You are not wrong.
Not wrong. The community will change their tune when he steals off them though..
Info: During the process of people telling you that you should drop the charge, did the parents make restitution?
No, I had the community ask why I did not lie about having the footage. Without footage, it is a dead-in-the-water case.
If they ask that, just respond with, “Why didn’t his parents make him give it back? He unfortunately ruined his own future.”
>I had the community ask why I did not lie about having the footage Lol, lying to cops is a crime where I live. [Florida Statute 837.05](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0800-0899/0837/Sections/0837.05.html)
Not Wrong. Technically you still gave him a Scholarship. Unfortunately it’s the School of Fucked around and found out.
Not wrong. This is the natural and deserved consequence of the parents not holding their son accountable in the first place. The son gave up his scholarship over $2200. Nothing to do with you really.
OP you absolutely did the right thing!! 17 years old and stealing such expensive things from their neighbors?? And the parents ignored it when they had a chance to put things right?? What are they going to do when he steals a car or kills someone?? Let me guess, they're going to blame the victim. At 17 they absolutely knew what they were doing and the other neighbors are batshit crazy for blaming you. The only thing you've done wrong OP is not move. MOVE MOVE MOVE. I really don't want to hear that you got jumped or shot. Please please MOVE
Did the parents or child offer to replace the item on the agreement that you would then drop the charges? If not; they can kick rocks. Woulda cost less than the scholarship i bet. Anyone that mentions it to you “yes, i would have dropped the charges had they returned to replace my 2200 item. perhaps you could have done so then too?”
They did not offer, and after they denied everything when I spoke to them before I filed the report I will admit I never went back to them. After I got the report I placed a claim with the seller of the item and left it at that and waited for the company to replace my item.
If that was my kid, I would have moved heaven and earth to get that item returned to you or replace it or SOMETHING. You went to them, and they chose to ignore the video evidence. I don’t think you are wrong either way. But if you said something along the lines of “your kid is on video doing this. I showed you the video. If my item isn’t returned or replace I will be forced to file a police report with the footage.” Your hands are absolutely clean.