Teen doorbell pranks gets homeowner arrested

Jeanwah

BETHLEHEM, N.Y. (AP) -- A New York homeowner faces charges of child endangerment and harassment after tackling a teen who rang his doorbell late at night as part of a prank called "ding dong ditch."

Daniel Van Plew told police he was in his underwear and preparing to go to bed Saturday night when he chased four teenagers who pounded on his back door, rang his front doorbell and then ran.

He caught a 14-year-old boy and made him wait in his home while he called police. Van Plew, a pharmaceutical executive, must answer the misdemeanor and violation charges in town court on Aug. 3.

Van Plew contends that he feared for his family's safety. His attorney, Peter Gerstenzang, calls his client's reaction "pretty moderate" given the circumstances.

The teen faces no charges.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/nation ... s-arrested

Jeanwah

This is what we teaching are kids. They can do things like this, get away with it and somebody else will get in trouble. And people wounder why there are so many problems with the way kids are turning out these days.

Cosmo

Jeanwah wrote:

BETHLEHEM, N.Y. (AP) -- A New York homeowner faces charges of child endangerment and harassment after tackling a teen who rang his doorbell late at night as part of a prank called "ding dong ditch."

Daniel Van Plew told police he was in his underwear and preparing to go to bed Saturday night when he chased four teenagers who pounded on his back door, rang his front doorbell and then ran.

He caught a 14-year-old boy and made him wait in his home while he called police. Van Plew, a pharmaceutical executive, must answer the misdemeanor and violation charges in town court on Aug. 3.

Van Plew contends that he feared for his family's safety. His attorney, Peter Gerstenzang, calls his client's reaction "pretty moderate" given the circumstances.

The teen faces no charges.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/nation ... s-arrested

...
"Feared for his family's safety..."... the one-size-fits-all response for blatant acts of stupidity.
He feared them so much... he chased them down in his underwear, leaving his family in the house to fend for themselves?
30 days in jail and $5,000.00 fine paid to the county for being too old to be that stupid.

soaks the pages

"it's one of those flaming bags again!
"don't put it out with your boots, ted!"

kids are stupid. but you gotta be even stupider to answer the door in only your underwear.

Jeanwah

Cosmo wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

BETHLEHEM, N.Y. (AP) -- A New York homeowner faces charges of child endangerment and harassment after tackling a teen who rang his doorbell late at night as part of a prank called "ding dong ditch."

Daniel Van Plew told police he was in his underwear and preparing to go to bed Saturday night when he chased four teenagers who pounded on his back door, rang his front doorbell and then ran.

He caught a 14-year-old boy and made him wait in his home while he called police. Van Plew, a pharmaceutical executive, must answer the misdemeanor and violation charges in town court on Aug. 3.

Van Plew contends that he feared for his family's safety. His attorney, Peter Gerstenzang, calls his client's reaction "pretty moderate" given the circumstances.

The teen faces no charges.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/nation ... s-arrested

...
"Feared for his family's safety..."... the one-size-fits-all response for blatant acts of stupidity.
He feared them so much... he chased them down in his underwear, leaving his family in the house to fend for themselves?
30 days in jail and $5,000.00 fine paid to the county for being too old to be that stupid.

Typical grumpy old man reaction, sure. But what kind of message does it send kids?

tybird

If you didn't pull similar stunts as a kid....I suspect you lead either a sheltered life or a boring one. Mischief is good for the soul.

Cosmo

Jeanwah wrote:

Typical grumpy old man reaction, sure. But what kind of message does it send kids?

...
Nothing, really. Kids are stupid... they do stupid shit. There's no getting around that.
It would be different if they spray painted his house or threw eggs or broke windows or something... but, ringing a doorbell and running... not that big of a deal. You look out your window and see them running off and laughing like stupid teenagers and say to yourself, "Stupid fucking kids" and go to bed.
I mean... did the guy actually think there was a law against Ding-dong Dash when he called the cops?

polaris_x

i gotta side with the old guy in his jockeys ... i'd make the kids walk around with a sandwich board that read ... front: i am a loser back: no, really i am

pandora

Lucky he didn't shoot first, ask questions later, thinking it was a home invasion, like we have here often.
I agree with OP its the wrong message to send. Charge the old guy if you must, but the kids should have community service and learn to respect others and appreciate the true meaning of freedom, that is, don't tread on others. If they continue with stupid pranks they might get hurt next time because someone may not take so kindly to just call the cops. People lose it over stuff like this.

murphyJammer

Jeanwah wrote:

This is what we teaching are kids. They can do things like this, get away with it and somebody else will get in trouble. And people wounder why there are so many problems with the way kids are turning out these days.

Are you serious? This is why our society has problems? Are you a ninety year old crank?

pandora

murphyJammer wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

This is what we teaching are kids. They can do things like this, get away with it and somebody else will get in trouble. And people wounder why there are so many problems with the way kids are turning out these days.

Are you serious? This is why our society has problems? Are you a ninety year old crank?

I think you missed the OP's point. It was a disrespectful thing to do, it invaded someone's privacy and trespassed on their property and into their peaceful domain. Silly prank yes, but meant to piss someone off, to disturb them and annoy. If ones family isn't going to teach them how to respect others then the law should. The fact that the boys had absolutely no repercussions from their acts is not teaching them what they did was wrong. You don't have to be old or a crank to see these kids should be taught some manners and to respect others property and privacy.

eyedclaar

pandora wrote:

murphyJammer wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

This is what we teaching are kids. They can do things like this, get away with it and somebody else will get in trouble. And people wounder why there are so many problems with the way kids are turning out these days.

Are you serious? This is why our society has problems? Are you a ninety year old crank?

I think you missed the OP's point. It was a disrespectful thing to do, it invaded someone's privacy and trespassed on their property and into their peaceful domain. Silly prank yes, but meant to piss someone off, to disturb them and annoy. If ones family isn't going to teach them how to respect others then the law should. The fact that the boys had absolutely no repercussions from their acts is not teaching them what they did was wrong. You don't have to be old or a crank to see these kids should be taught some manners and to respect others property and privacy.

Preach it, Pandi. For the record, you do not want to be stepping onto my property without permission, let alone try fucking with me. No 90 year old crank is capable of the things I am. I give that same respect to others and demand it in return. Go ask my neighbors about the time one of their kids decided to lob an iceball at my windshield. I taught them a valuable lesson about fucking with strangers. One I imagine they will carry for the rest of their lives.

Jason P

As long as my property doesn't suffer any damage, I'm fine with a few shenanigans once or twice a year.

Plus, I was a little prankster SOB in junior high and it will be a long time before karma catches up with me.

eyedclaar

Jason P wrote:

As long as my property doesn't suffer any damage, I'm fine with a few shenanigans once or twice a year.

Plus, I was a little prankster SOB in junior high and it will be a long time before karma catches up with me.

I just like to think of myself as that bison in Yellowstone that just made the news. Don't throw anything at me, don't get too close to my personal space, and in turn, I won't stomp and gore the livng shit out of you. Of course, I was kind of an SOB when I was a kid as well. In fact, I (today) would have probably killed me.

murphyJammer

Preach it, Pandi. For the record, you do not want to be stepping onto my property without permission, let alone try fucking with me. No 90 year old crank is capable of the things I am. I give that same respect to others and demand it in return. Go ask my neighbors about the time one of their kids decided to lob an iceball at my windshield. I taught them a valuable lesson about fucking with strangers. One I imagine they will carry for the rest of their lives.[/quote]


I feel that there is quite a difference between "ding and dash" and willfully attempting to destroy someone's property the way you describe. One involves a momentary annoyance, the other is much more serious in terms of property damage, and more importantly it puts the driver and passengers in an incredibly dangerous situation.

FiveB247x

Albeit a harmless, stupid act by kids, the fact that the kids got no reprimanding and somehow the old guy did is just ass backwards. Our society has really lost it's mind when it comes to children and parenting.

TriumphantAngel

oh c'mon now.

so he took the kid inside his house and told him to sit on the floor while he called the Police. i guess he's lucky they haven't charged him with kidnapping too. :roll:

i think this is utterly ridiculous. how about a little common sense. so the kids were meant to be at a sleepover. their parents probably didn't even realize they were wandering the streets. the police should have taken the kids home to their parents to deal with them, then they should have apologized to the home owner and that should have been the end of the story.

shit like this makes national news? really? this is not news. it's 14 year old kids doing stupid shit that kids do and it's ridiculous that it has gone this far.

this is just another example of how fucked up this world is we live in now. i mean the news outlets will keep talking about this, everyone will have an opinion on it, and meanwhile, things that should be being reported, will go un noticed and real criminals will keep on offending.

dumb dumb dumb,

just how they want us.

cincybearcat

Cosmo wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

BETHLEHEM, N.Y. (AP) -- A New York homeowner faces charges of child endangerment and harassment after tackling a teen who rang his doorbell late at night as part of a prank called "ding dong ditch."

Daniel Van Plew told police he was in his underwear and preparing to go to bed Saturday night when he chased four teenagers who pounded on his back door, rang his front doorbell and then ran.

He caught a 14-year-old boy and made him wait in his home while he called police. Van Plew, a pharmaceutical executive, must answer the misdemeanor and violation charges in town court on Aug. 3.

Van Plew contends that he feared for his family's safety. His attorney, Peter Gerstenzang, calls his client's reaction "pretty moderate" given the circumstances.

The teen faces no charges.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/nation ... s-arrested

...
"Feared for his family's safety..."... the one-size-fits-all response for blatant acts of stupidity.
He feared them so much... he chased them down in his underwear, leaving his family in the house to fend for themselves?
30 days in jail and $5,000.00 fine paid to the county for being too old to be that stupid.

You're kidding right?

cincybearcat

TriumphantAngel wrote:

oh c'mon now.

so he took the kid inside his house and told him to sit on the floor while he called the Police. i guess he's lucky they haven't charged him with kidnapping too. :roll:

i think this is utterly ridiculous. how about a little common sense. so the kids were meant to be at a sleepover. their parents probably didn't even realize they were wandering the streets. the police should have taken the kids home to their parents to deal with them, then they should have apologized to the home owner and that should have been the end of the story.

shit like this makes national news? really? this is not news. it's 14 year old kids doing stupid shit that kids do and it's ridiculous that it has gone this far.

this is just another example of how fucked up this world is we live in now. i mean the news outlets will keep talking about this, everyone will have an opinion on it, and meanwhile, things that should be being reported, will go un noticed and real criminals will keep on offending.

dumb dumb dumb,

just how they want us.

Well said.

Cosmo

cincybearcat wrote:

Cosmo wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

BETHLEHEM, N.Y. (AP) -- A New York homeowner faces charges of child endangerment and harassment after tackling a teen who rang his doorbell late at night as part of a prank called "ding dong ditch."

Daniel Van Plew told police he was in his underwear and preparing to go to bed Saturday night when he chased four teenagers who pounded on his back door, rang his front doorbell and then ran.

He caught a 14-year-old boy and made him wait in his home while he called police. Van Plew, a pharmaceutical executive, must answer the misdemeanor and violation charges in town court on Aug. 3.

Van Plew contends that he feared for his family's safety. His attorney, Peter Gerstenzang, calls his client's reaction "pretty moderate" given the circumstances.

The teen faces no charges.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/nation ... s-arrested

...
"Feared for his family's safety..."... the one-size-fits-all response for blatant acts of stupidity.
He feared them so much... he chased them down in his underwear, leaving his family in the house to fend for themselves?
30 days in jail and $5,000.00 fine paid to the county for being too old to be that stupid.

You're kidding right?

...
Well, okay... maybe the penalty may be a bit harsh... but, I believe there should be a penalty for stupidity.

catefrances

:yawn:

you know we have fences around our properties that make this kind of thing just that little bit more difficult for the little monsters.

Commy

FiveB247x wrote:

Albeit a harmless, stupid act by kids, the fact that the kids got no reprimanding and somehow the old guy did is just ass backwards. Our society has really lost it's mind when it comes to children and parenting.

The kids were having fun, its a prank, lighten up. I did it when i was that age.




Sometimes kids just have fun and sometimes old people are scared republicans and think they are in serious danger....nobody needs to be charged. But maaybe the homeowner went a bit far tackling and holding the kid till the cops came...might have been a bit much don't you think?


Why should the authorities been involved at all?

Cosmo

Commy wrote:

FiveB247x wrote:

Albeit a harmless, stupid act by kids, the fact that the kids got no reprimanding and somehow the old guy did is just ass backwards. Our society has really lost it's mind when it comes to children and parenting.

The kids were having fun, its a prank, lighten up. I did it when i was that age.




Sometimes kids just have fun and sometimes old people are scared republicans and think they are in serious danger....nobody needs to be charged. But maaybe the homeowner went a bit far tackling and holding the kid till the cops came...might have been a bit much don't you think?
Why should the authorities been involved at all?

...
Also, the adult is a Pharmaceutical executive. I am guessing he is in a position at his company where he has to make strategic and tactical business decisions as his job as a company executive... yet, he decides to go after some punk kid that rang his doorbell and ran?
And I am hoping the cops in his city have nothing more critical to deal with than enforcing the Ding-dong Dash statute. Because it would be a shame to tie up the resources of a night patrol officer if there are more critical crimes to deal with... possibly, getting a drunk driver off of the street.

FiveB247x

I'm not saying the authorities need to be involved for a "punishment" so to speak, but that's how people learn... by lessons. And albeit it's just kids doing something stupid, they deserved what they got and I assure you they won't do it again. Also, since when is it ok for kids to pester others (even as a joke), and everyone has to tolerate it? Several talk about the responsibility or lack their of, of this old guy chasing them down, etc, how bout the kids parents or even the kids?? Seems like a lame way to pass off blame because the situation was escalated when its unnecessary to begin with. Kids being kids doesn't make it ok or solely because no one was in serious danger, doesn't make it acceptable or mean it should be tolerated. And I'm sure the old guy just called the cops to scare the kids, not to actually expect them to be arrested or something similar.

Commy wrote:

FiveB247x wrote:

Albeit a harmless, stupid act by kids, the fact that the kids got no reprimanding and somehow the old guy did is just ass backwards. Our society has really lost it's mind when it comes to children and parenting.

The kids were having fun, its a prank, lighten up. I did it when i was that age.

Sometimes kids just have fun and sometimes old people are scared republicans and think they are in serious danger....nobody needs to be charged. But maaybe the homeowner went a bit far tackling and holding the kid till the cops came...might have been a bit much don't you think?

Why should the authorities been involved at all?

blackredyellow

All I know is that the 14 year old he caught must be the last kid picked in gym class... A barefoot middle aged man should not be able to catch a running 14 year old.

Jeanwah

pandora wrote:

murphyJammer wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

This is what we teaching are kids. They can do things like this, get away with it and somebody else will get in trouble. And people wounder why there are so many problems with the way kids are turning out these days.

Are you serious? This is why our society has problems? Are you a ninety year old crank?

I think you missed the OP's point. It was a disrespectful thing to do, it invaded someone's privacy and trespassed on their property and into their peaceful domain. Silly prank yes, but meant to piss someone off, to disturb them and annoy. If ones family isn't going to teach them how to respect others then the law should. The fact that the boys had absolutely no repercussions from their acts is not teaching them what they did was wrong. You don't have to be old or a crank to see these kids should be taught some manners and to respect others property and privacy.

Yeah, maybe I wasn't clear about my POV, sorry. I'm looking at how the cops dealt with the situation. They charge the home owner but let the kid off scott-free. The kid wasn't exactly innocent but the law is teaching him that he can continue to piss off on his neighbors and get away with it. That kind of attitude can lead to more issues as he grows older thinking he can do whatever he wants - let alone disrespecting people - and get away with it, too.

Jeanwah

I just want to mention that this happened locally. And so we don't just judge the kid as an innocent kid and the homeowner as a grumpy old man (although he could be), here's more info to the story.

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article ... 584905.php

Cosmo

blackredyellow wrote:

All I know is that the 14 year old he caught must be the last kid picked in gym class... A barefoot middle aged man should not be able to catch a running 14 year old.

...
That's what I was thinking... either he is a 14 year old Jonah Hill... or when he was being chased by an adult, he did what a lot of 14 year old kids would do... freeze up.

FiveB247x

After reading this further - the kids should be punished in some fashion and the guy let off with nothing done to him. Imagine you're home with your family and this happened?? With a wife and 2 kids under 6 you wouldn't have done something similar? Completely understandable and ok in my book.

Jeanwah wrote:

I just want to mention that this happened locally. And so we don't just judge the kid as an innocent kid and the homeowner as a grumpy old man (although he could be), here's more info to the story.

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article ... 584905.php

Cosmo

FiveB247x wrote:

After reading this further - the kids should be punished in some fashion and the guy let off with nothing done to him. Imagine you're home with your family and this happened?? With a wife and 2 kids under 6 you wouldn't have done something similar? Completely understandable and ok in my book.

Jeanwah wrote:

I just want to mention that this happened locally. And so we don't just judge the kid as an innocent kid and the homeowner as a grumpy old man (although he could be), here's more info to the story.

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article ... 584905.php

...
Agree. Information is a powerful pursuader.
Take the kid to Civil Court and work out a deal where he (and his punk friends) pick up trash for a month or something along those lines.

cincybearcat

Cosmo wrote:

Commy wrote:

FiveB247x wrote:

Albeit a harmless, stupid act by kids, the fact that the kids got no reprimanding and somehow the old guy did is just ass backwards. Our society has really lost it's mind when it comes to children and parenting.

The kids were having fun, its a prank, lighten up. I did it when i was that age.




Sometimes kids just have fun and sometimes old people are scared republicans and think they are in serious danger....nobody needs to be charged. But maaybe the homeowner went a bit far tackling and holding the kid till the cops came...might have been a bit much don't you think?
Why should the authorities been involved at all?

...
Also, the adult is a Pharmaceutical executive. I am guessing he is in a position at his company where he has to make strategic and tactical business decisions as his job as a company executive... yet, he decides to go after some punk kid that rang his doorbell and ran?
And I am hoping the cops in his city have nothing more critical to deal with than enforcing the Ding-dong Dash statute. Because it would be a shame to tie up the resources of a night patrol officer if there are more critical crimes to deal with... possibly, getting a drunk driver off of the street.

So, now we are blaming a waste of resources on a guy that had kids ring his doorbell and run....hmmm...root cause analysis...what could have been done to keep him from calling?

Oh that's right, don't ring the doorbell. Ding and ditch is a gateway crime.