Too cold to walk, youths take hot car to counselling

[RC]

Too cold to walk, youths take hot car to counselling

Ordered to attend program to learn about not stealing vehicles

Tue Jan 22 2008

By Mike McIntyre

FOUR chronic car thieves are accused of stealing a vehicle last week so they could attend court-ordered counselling aimed at reducing their high-risk criminal lifestyle, the Free Press has learned.
Three of the teen suspects were arrested within minutes of exiting the downtown Winnipeg Training for Youth (TRY) program, where they had just spent the morning learning about the error of their ways.

The youths, aged 16 and 17, told officers they went to class in a hot car because it was "too cold to walk," according to sources.

Plainclothes members of the stolen auto unit and general patrol officers had been watching the vehicle, which was parked outside the office building, and quickly grabbed two accused from the vehicle at gunpoint as they tried to drive away.

>SNIP<

The youths were following court orders to attend the TRY program. However, the fact they didn't appear to realize that stealing a car to get there was a bad idea shows the "disconnect" that exists in so many young criminal minds, police say.

Police said this is the first case they've seen where people allegedly stole a car so they could attend programming to learn about not stealing cars.

>MORE<
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/local/story/4111910p-4708247c.html

[Ellen Forradalom]

1. File under "People Unclear on the Concept"

[Deja Q]

2. Couldn't these Superlative and Creative Acolytes of Britney (okay, SCABs) carpool with somebody

legally entitled?!

[Redstone]

3. That made my head hurt.

Redstone