Man Taught His 4 Children How To Shoplift

[matcom]

<snip>

West Bend - A Kewaskum man and his four children ages 5, 6, 8 and 13 stole school clothes and bicycles from two West Bend retail stores over the weekend after he taught the children to remove magnetic security tags from the merchandise, authorities said Monday.

After they were caught, police said, the man's 8-year-old daughter told authorities that whenever they go shopping, "My dad always steals and my mom always buys."

The man was being held in the Washington County Jail for allegedly violating his probation from other criminal cases.

He is expected to appear in court Tuesday on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, retail theft, disorderly conduct and robbery, Washington County District Attorney Todd Martens said.

The children are not facing charges, West Bend police Sgt. Gus Unertl said. He said the alleged shoplifting spree began at 8:20 p.m. Friday, when the 39-year-old man instructed his children to pick out four bicycles at Wal-Mart, 1515 West Paradise Drive.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/ozwash/jul04/244815.asp?format=print

[Westegg]

1. How Dickensian. Fagin from "Oliver Twist." (n/t)

[neoteric lefty]

2. Father of The Year in my book

:smacks forehead:

[Toby109]

3. He's just teaching his children a trade.

What's so wrong with that? How else are they supposed to learn? I say kudos to dad! :toast:

[chookie]

6. ha ha -- you reminded me of something!

One time I asked for a raise, complaining how it was impossible for me to live on the wages I was receiving, and the chairman of the dept (it was a university) replied that I should take up shoplifting. It sure would have helped make ends meet....

[mark11727]

7. Free room and board the hard way.

[underpants]

4. Kewaskum people hate us because of our MERCHANDISE!!!!!!

:evilgrin:

[chookie]

5. I know someone this happened to

A friend of mine had a mother who was a kleptomaniac. Anytime they'd go out, mother would steal things left and right, in full view of the kids, although the mother would exhort them never to do this themselves.

In time, the mother enlisted her kids in stealing -- would put stolen clothes on them and order them to walk out of the store in them, etc. The kids were in Catholic school, on top of everything, and were half crazy about what they were being forced to do.

I think this is incredibly abusive to children.

It's in some cases a form of mental illness. I don't think people comprehend how difficult it is for children to grow up with mentally ill relatives.