Boys avoid charges in stoning, hanging of kitten

[one...two...tree 2,762]

by Nathan Gonzalez - The Arizona Republic

A pair of young boys will avoid animal abuse charges that they stoned then hanged to death a 4-month-old kitten at their east Mesa home, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said.

The boys, ages 6 and 7, were not named, but Sheriff Joe Arpaio said state law prohibits charges being filed against anyone younger than 8.

A neighbor contacted the Sheriff's Office Oct. 23 after they found the cat dead. Deputies went to the home of one of the boys, at a trailer park in the 9000 block of Apache Trail, and found the kitten hanging by its neck from a backyard tree.

The boys had used a piece of wire from a video game controller. The kitten also appeared to have been beaten with a rock, authorities said. "This level of animal abuse at such a young age could be a predictor of worse violence in the future," Arpaio said in a statement.

Because the boys were too young to be charged, sheriff's officials contacted Child Protective Services, which declined to get involved, saying the circumstances of the case were outside the criteria required to help the boys and their families, the Sheriff's Office said.

The department said in its release the 7-year-old's mother is an undocumented resident, further complicating the case. The department did not elaborate. It's also unclear whether she was detained.

A Sheriff's Office child forensic specialist interviewed the two boys with their parents, and persuaded them to get counseling for the boys. Deputies have also contacted officials with a new program at ASU that specializes in these types of cases.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/ar...kitten1206.html

[rocks 494]

horrible.

does anyone else think that the parents should be held accountable for that?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

horrible.

does anyone else think that the parents should be held accountable for that?

Hard to make that call with such limited information. It's too bad the courts couldn't require a social worker visit the home along with mandatory counseling. Kids do some stupid things when there's no adults around. A lot of kids in my neighborhood growing up would place firecrackers inside or under live toads and watch them go off. Terrible things...hopefully most of us grew up and later realized how terrible it was.

[rebeccajo 14]

horrible.

does anyone else think that the parents should be held accountable for that?

They will be in a few years when the little ba$tard$ move on to bigger and better things - like homicide.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Typical trailer trash.

[rocks 494]

horrible.

does anyone else think that the parents should be held accountable for that?

Hard to make that call with such limited information. It's too bad the courts couldn't require a social worker visit the home along with mandatory counseling. Kids do some stupid things when there's no adults around. A lot of kids in my neighborhood growing up would place firecrackers inside or under live toads and watch them go off. Terrible things...hopefully most of us grew up and later realized how terrible it was.

that's what i mean though. if they aren't there then something needs to be done about that, if they are there and let that happen then something needs to be done about that too...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

horrible.

does anyone else think that the parents should be held accountable for that?

Hard to make that call with such limited information. It's too bad the courts couldn't require a social worker visit the home along with mandatory counseling. Kids do some stupid things when there's no adults around. A lot of kids in my neighborhood growing up would place firecrackers inside or under live toads and watch them go off. Terrible things...hopefully most of us grew up and later realized how terrible it was.

that's what i mean though. if they aren't there then something needs to be done about that, if they are there and let that happen then something needs to be done about that too...

I don't know if it's that simple. Back in the 70's when I was that age, I could be gone for hours and my parents didn't know where I was at, let alone worry about me, compared to nowadays, you can be charged with child neglect if you leave a child under the age of 12 alone in a public park. We've gone way too much to the other extreme, but maybe it's because nowadays, most people barely talk to their neighbors and it was the neighborhood that looked out for all the kids. If a neighbor saw somebody else's kid misbehaving, they'd scold that kid. I'm not advocating parents letting their 7 yr. old kids wander off for hours unsupervised, but we've lost the neighborly ways of looking out for one another's kids.

Edited December 6, 2008 by Mister Fancypants

[Ban Hammer 13,364]

horrible.

does anyone else think that the parents should be held accountable for that?

They will be in a few years when the little ba$tard$ move on to bigger and better things - like homicide.

[rocks 494]

horrible.

does anyone else think that the parents should be held accountable for that?

Hard to make that call with such limited information. It's too bad the courts couldn't require a social worker visit the home along with mandatory counseling. Kids do some stupid things when there's no adults around. A lot of kids in my neighborhood growing up would place firecrackers inside or under live toads and watch them go off. Terrible things...hopefully most of us grew up and later realized how terrible it was.

that's what i mean though. if they aren't there then something needs to be done about that, if they are there and let that happen then something needs to be done about that too...

I don't know if it's that simple. Back in the 70's when I was that age, I could be gone for hours and my parents didn't know where I was at, let alone worry about me, compared to nowadays, you can be charged with child neglect if you leave a child under the age of 12 alone in a public park. We've gone way too much to the other extreme, but maybe it's because nowadays, most people barely talk to their neighbors and it was the neighborhood that looked out for all the kids. If a neighbor saw somebody else's kid misbehaving, they'd scold that kid. I'm not advocating parents letting their 7 yr. old kids wander off for hours unsupervised, but we've lost the neighborly ways of looking out for one another's kids.

i agree with you there, it's different now from when we were kids. the article says it was found in one of their backyards so either the parents were out or in when this happened.

A neighbor contacted the Sheriff's Office Oct. 23 after they found the cat dead. Deputies went to the home of one of the boys, at a trailer park in the 9000 block of Apache Trail, and found the kitten hanging by its neck from a backyard tree.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

i agree with you there, it's different now from when we were kids. the article says it was found in one of their backyards so either the parents were out or in when this happened.

My parents lost their oldest son (he just turned 8) ...was electrocuted while climbing a tree in a backyard. I'm not saying the parents shouldn't be aware of what the children are doing in their own backyard, but things happen. I think it's their cruel behavior that is the most troubling...and not so much that their parents weren't watching them close enough.

[rocks 494]

i agree with you there, it's different now from when we were kids. the article says it was found in one of their backyards so either the parents were out or in when this happened.

My parents lost their oldest son (he just turned 8) ...was electrocuted while climbing a tree in a backyard. I'm not saying the parents shouldn't be aware of what the children are doing in their own backyard, but things happen. I think it's their cruel behavior that is the most troubling...and not so much that their parents weren't watching them close enough.

i'm not saying that they should watch them 24/7, i'm just saying that if their children are that evil at that age they are clearly doing something wrong somewhere...

Edited December 6, 2008 by rocks

[one...two...tree 2,762]

i agree with you there, it's different now from when we were kids. the article says it was found in one of their backyards so either the parents were out or in when this happened.

My parents lost their oldest son (he just turned 8) ...was electrocuted while climbing a tree in a backyard. I'm not saying the parents shouldn't be aware of what the children are doing in their own backyard, but things happen. I think it's their cruel behavior that is the most troubling...and not so much that their parents weren't watching them close enough.

i'm not saying that they should watch them 24/7, i'm just saying that if their children are that evil at that age they are clearly doing something wrong somewhere...

You're probably right. It could be from another source other than the parents though...like watching violent movies or playing video games that display that kind of cruelty - although that goes back to poor supervision.

[rocks 494]

i agree with you there, it's different now from when we were kids. the article says it was found in one of their backyards so either the parents were out or in when this happened.

My parents lost their oldest son (he just turned 8) ...was electrocuted while climbing a tree in a backyard. I'm not saying the parents shouldn't be aware of what the children are doing in their own backyard, but things happen. I think it's their cruel behavior that is the most troubling...and not so much that their parents weren't watching them close enough.

i'm not saying that they should watch them 24/7, i'm just saying that if their children are that evil at that age they are clearly doing something wrong somewhere...

You're probably right. It could be from another source other than the parents though...like watching violent movies or playing video games that display that kind of cruelty - although that goes back to poor supervision.

pretty much, something is wrong somewhere. children are not born evil it's something that develops in the wrong environment.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

i agree with you there, it's different now from when we were kids. the article says it was found in one of their backyards so either the parents were out or in when this happened.

My parents lost their oldest son (he just turned 8) ...was electrocuted while climbing a tree in a backyard. I'm not saying the parents shouldn't be aware of what the children are doing in their own backyard, but things happen. I think it's their cruel behavior that is the most troubling...and not so much that their parents weren't watching them close enough.

i'm not saying that they should watch them 24/7, i'm just saying that if their children are that evil at that age they are clearly doing something wrong somewhere...

You're probably right. It could be from another source other than the parents though...like watching violent movies or playing video games that display that kind of cruelty - although that goes back to poor supervision.

pretty much, something is wrong somewhere. children are not born evil it's something that develops in the wrong environment.

I used to think so too...but there some disorders that make children act in ways that are reprehensible.

[rocks 494]

pretty much, something is wrong somewhere. children are not born evil it's something that develops in the wrong environment.

I used to think so too...but there some disorders that make children act in ways that are reprehensible.

two kids with disorders? i like your optimism but i'm not buying it. i live around so many horrible children, their parents are exactly the same as they are...