Quick, think: where's the dumbest place you partied as a teen? The home of a friend while her parents were away for the weekend? A parking lot? Most of my keg experiences happened at a huge park at night, where we hung out on the grass and were obnoxious and loud -- until police "raided" our parties, which pretty much meant they scared us and told us to get off the city's property.
But some teens are now hosting what are called "ghost parties." They select a house that belongs to a complete stranger who isn't home at the time and organize a big party on -- and in -- the person's property. And since many insist on tweeting about and posting photos from the event, they shouldn't be shocked when they, like the 16 teens who were caught after partying at, stealing from, and looting a California mansion, get caught and face very real charges.
The party, which took place at trucking magnate Nick Radoi's lavish $7 million mansion, was organized by a group of teens, who charged admission to each of the 100 young guests. Although the plan was to enjoy a wild time in the mansion's backyard, things didn't work out that way. At some point I'm guessing curiosity and the desire to push things even further kicked in and the teens broke into Radoi's home, which reportedly features a casino room, movie theater, and pool with waterslide.
They caused $1 million in damages and stole several items, including designer suits, medieval armor, and a stuffed leopard that is worth $250,000.
In other words, they acted like criminals and deserve to be treated like young people who committed a serious crime.
I understand that teens are going to do stupid things. We all accept this. But a 7-year-old knows it is wrong to steal. A 10-year-old wouldn't dare enter someone's house without permission and then be pompous enough to stay there for 17 hours AND post photos from the event -- basically bragging about it.
Of the 16 teens who were arrested, all but three are minors and all face burglary, grand theft, and trespassing charges. A serious lack of respect for others is the huge issue here. The only way these teens are going to learn their lesson is if they are forced to serve time in juvenile detention and sentenced to community service.
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
What penalty do you think these teens deserve for breaking into and destroying someone else's property?
Image via CNN.com