You break it, you buy it. Teen learns the hard way.

[Rain Man]

The part about letting him have a pay schedule made me laugh.

In all seriousness, how do you punish someone for a crime like this? Prison seems off target (maybe), but $36 million is basically a life sentence. Maybe that's appropriate, but it was one bad decision by a 15 year old.


https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/21/us/te...rnd/index.html

Teen who started fire that burned 48,000 acres ordered to pay $36 million

When you play with fire, there are bound to be consequences.

For one teenager, that consequence comes with the jarring price tag of $36 million.

On Monday, an Oregon judge ordered the boy, who pleaded guilty to starting the Eagle Creek wildfire last year, to pay $36,618,330.24 in restitution to cover the damages.

The teen said he tossed fireworks in the woods while hiking on Eagle Creek trail on Sept. 2, 2017, according to court documents obtained by CNN. One of those fireworks ignited the massive wildfire in Oregon, which burned more than 48,000 acres.

The Vancouver, Washington, youth, who was 15 at the time of the incident, appeared at a hearing on Thursday. He is not being named because he's a minor. The 11 claims from the state and other parties totaled $36 million, something the teen's attorney called absurd, according to CNN affiliate KOIN.

The teen's attorney, Jack Morris, said the hefty fine violated the Oregon and US Constitutions, citing the Eighth Amendment, which protects people from excessive fines and "cruel and unusual punishment," according to the judge's written opinion.

Hood River County Circuit Court Judge John A. Olson wrote in his opinion that the judgment doesn't violate the constitution. "The restitution is clearly proportionate to the offense because it does not exceed the financial damages caused by the youth," he wrote.

"I'm satisfied that the restitution ordered in this case bears a sufficient relationship to the gravity of the offenses for which the youth was adjudicated," he wrote.

CNN tried to contact Morris, the defense lawyer, on Monday but he did not call back.

The order says the following organizations and people should be receiving money:

$5,000 to Iris Schenk
$8,111.44 to Allstate Insurance
$31,550.90 to Oregon State Parks
$100,000 to Heuker Properties
$168,000 to Trail Club of Oregon
$1,048,877.52 to Union Pacific Railroad
$1,643,035.38 to Oregon State Fire Marshal
$12,500,000 to Oregon Department of Transportation
$21,113,755 to US Forest Service

If the teen cannot pay the millions in full, the court has said he could establish a pay schedule through the Hood River Juvenile Department.

In February, the teenager apologized in court and was sentenced to five years probation and 1,920 hours of community service with the U.S. Forest Service, reported CNN affiliate KPTV.

[threebag]

Yeah pack up and move to another region of the globe.

[Otter]

On the bright side - student loans are going to look like maxing out your parents $300 credit limit card for wings and keg night for plebe night at frat house.

[Garcia Bronco]

It's a stupid ruling. S*** happens.

[bigjosh]

Originally Posted by Graystoke

Raise your hand if this could have happened to you when you were 15.
Insert Raised hand gif

I was having roman candle and bottle rocket wars at 12 or 13.

Sent from my LGMP450 using Tapatalk

[GloucesterChief]

Kid should move to southern Europe and just work under the table for the rest of his life.

[Iowanian]

They just sentenced that kid to never working an honest day of his life. Why would he?

[kccrow]

It's a ridiculous amount that totals $36,618,330.24.

If he paid back 1% in his lifetime, they should consider themselves fortunate and anything above that an absolute bonus.

At a garnishment of 25% over 45 years, he'd have to average an annual salary of $32,549.63. Median income per capita 2016 was $31,099.

The Judge in this case is being absolutely foolish. There is no way this should hold up as a "reasonable" restitution in a court of appeals.

[rocknrolla]

Originally Posted by Graystoke

Raise your hand if this could have happened to you when you were 15.
Insert Raised hand gif

This easily could have been me. We built a treehouse/fort when I was about 13 and had a fire pit inside. Yes, I was 13,one day we saw fire trucks and cops spraying the whole acre surrounding . We watched it all unfold from the school bus, I honestly cannot believe nothing was ever said!

[Fire Me Boy!]

No way that punishment holds up in appeals.

[Valiant]

News article states judge orders that the boy can setup payment plan, though payments can be halted after 10 years as long as he complies, completes probation and doesn't commit other crimes.

That is fair.

[Skyy God]

1,920 hours is a LOT of community service.

[RippedmyFlesh]

Originally Posted by Graystoke

Raise your hand if this could have happened to you when you were 15.
Insert Raised hand gif

11
Gas, caps,matches, plastic green army soldiers... a boy's version of armageddon

[MagicHef]

Originally Posted by kccrow

It's a ridiculous amount that totals $36,618,330.24.

If he paid back 1% in his lifetime, they should consider themselves fortunate and anything above that an absolute bonus.

At a garnishment of 25% over 45 years, he'd have to average an annual salary of $32,549.63. Median income per capita 2016 was $31,099.

The Judge in this case is being absolutely foolish. There is no way this should hold up as a "reasonable" restitution in a court of appeals.

You're off by a factor of 100. He'd have to work 4500 years at that salary.

[Skyy God]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

You're off by a factor of 100. He'd have to work 4500 years at that salary.

It’s an attention grab by the dbag judge.

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

You're off by a factor of 100. He'd have to work 4500 years at that salary.

You read for shit. I said if he paid back 1%.