Raiding the kitchen

[hoosier]

Unlike the felons described below, a few times each year we stole the key to the chapter house kitchen, fired up the stove, and made omelets using all the left overs and what ever was on hand in the middle of the night (usually fueled by Bud and Pabst)


December 16, 2003by Kelli Kennedy

Students at Florida Atlantic University had mixed reactions Monday afternoon, when they learned four of their classmates were being charged with felonies for raiding a school cafeteria during finals week.
Gossip of the four freshmen girls, who stole about $25 worth of food during their late-night snack attack, ripped through the Boca Raton campus.
“They should be charged. They’re over 18 and they committed a felony,” said junior Alex Dosso. “A felony is a felony. They knew what they were doing.”
Joanna Luo agreed.
“I think that’s really wrong. It’s not right to just steal snacks,” said Luo, an 8th grader at Henderson University School. “I believe that they should be charged with a felony.”
Other students said the penalty, which carried a five-year maximum sentence, was too extreme.
“They shouldn’t have been treated like that for stealing $25. It’s too much for them if they only stole $25,” said Dongseok Hong, an FAU graduate student.”
“It seems a bit extreme,” said senior Ricky Patel. “They should be charged with a misdemeanor.”
Dean of Students Leslie Bates said the criminal charged for the cafeteria raid is a first on campus. The state attorney's office has 30 days to decide whether to proceed with the case.
State Attorney’s Office spokesman, Mike Edmondson, declined to give details, stating that the investigation is still open.
The four freshmen, Amanda Leon, Jaclyn Sibilia, Thoa Ho and Kaitlin Sjostedt had been studying into the early morning hours when they decided to take some cereal, fruit and other snacks worth about $25 from the University Center Marketplace kitchen, according to a police report.
The girls were handcuffed and taken to Palm Beach County Jail, where they were held for the rest of the night.
``Burglary is burglary. Whether you steal $20,000 worth of artwork, or not, it’s a felony,” said campus police spokesman Chuck Aurin. ``They broke the law. Not only did they commit the offense, but they were actually caught in the act.''
Police can’t get into the business of charging for some felonies and not for others, said Aurin, who said the decision is now in the hands of the S.A.O.
The university sentenced the girls to 20 hours of community service, where they will help the food service employees as part of their punishment.
``It will be during the 'prime time' of the cafeteria,'' Sjostedt said. ``It's cruel and unusual punishment.''
But the women's parents were more concerned about the criminal charges. Sjostedt's mother, Jennifer Todd, said all four students had clean records and that the felony charges were too extreme.
``These kids just went into a refrigerator because they were hungry,'' said Todd, a lawyer in Tampa. ``It's not like they're drug dealers.''

[KillarneyRose]

Originally posted by hoosier
But the women's parents were more concerned about the criminal charges. Sjostedt's mother, Jennifer Todd, said all four students had clean records and that the felony charges were too extreme.
``These kids just went into a refrigerator because they were hungry,'' said Todd, a lawyer in Tampa. ``It's not like they're drug dealers.''

I was actually feeling somewhat sympathetic for the girls (are they to be known now as the "FAU Four"?) until reading mama lawyer's take on the situation. I guess now we can figure out where little Kaitlin got her sense of entitlement

I swear, if a parent was interviewed in a situation like this and actually said something like, "my child did something wrong and I hope the prosecutor is lenient but if not she will have learned something.", I would probably faint!

[Tom Earp]

Well, Hoosier, I guess hanging is out of the question here!

Arabic countrys, they would just have cut fingers or hands off!

Stupid is as Stupid does! B & E, stealing food from poor other starving students.

Sounds like the local Fuzz dont have a hell of a lot to do!

Damn, I hope they do not let them carry guns! What say ye to that Barney

[33girl]

What I don't understand is why you would schlep up to the caf in the middle of the night, and how you would get in.

Taking fruit and dishware and a tray to sled on at lunchtime, that's different.

[James]

Their parents need to spank them . . but jail term or even a felony conviction is a bit much . . .

The school should have handled it administratively.

[sherbertlemons]

Originally posted by 33girl
Taking fruit and dishware and a tray to sled on at lunchtime, that's different.

*lol* My area of the dorm freshman year was full of items stolen from meal plan by different girls. That and a traffic cone stolen from the physical plant, and a stand up cardboard Knightro stolen from the Student Union.

But then, my area of the dorm was infamous my freshman year!

I definitely think that a felony conviction is way, way too much for the magnitude of this crime. Community service in the cafeteria is a good idea, if nothing else than because it will make them think.

Why is this a felony anyways? Is it because there was a breaking and entering aspect to the crime?

[queequek]

.... Greek Life section? Are they even in Greek housing?

[Kevin]

Originally posted by queequek
.... Greek Life section? Are they even in Greek housing?

Wait! I can make this be a typical Greek Life thread.... Watch and learn

These people would be expelled from school and executed by the state had they been members of GLO's! Damn the double standard!

How's that?

[moe.ron]

Originally posted by ktsnake
Wait! I can make this be a typical Greek Life thread.... Watch and learn

These people would be expelled from school and executed by the state had they been members of GLO's! Damn the double standard!

How's that?

Now it belong to Greek Life.

[ThetaGrrl]

lol, we used to bust into the kitchen at the Theta house all the time... it was tricky, too... muahahahah

[madmax]

What is the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor?
Isn't there some kind of dollar amount attached to the crime that differentiates the two?

If a kid steals a pack of .50 pack of gum vs someone that steals 50k. Wouldn't one be a misdemeanor and the other a felony?

[aopinthesky]

A dollar amount can be the difference between a felony offense and a misdemeanor, but it is not the only factor. Taking $25 worth of food is probably not a misdemeanor, but going into a building without permission (burglary) is.