Teenage Hoods Knock Off Little Girls' Lemonade Stand

by Tom Henderson (Subscribe to Tom Henderson's posts) Jul 23rd 2010 9:17AM

Categories: In The News, Weird But True, Bullying

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Michigan has seen its share of desperate criminals and vicious thugs. Notorious banker robber John Dillinger once hid out in the state.

But even Public Enemy No. 1 would be embarrassed by the current class of criminals.

Police in Pontiac have busted a couple of hoods for knocking over ... wait for it ... a lemonade stand run by three little girls.

In what was almost literally like taking candy from a baby, the Detroit News reports the crooks made off with $40 in cash.

The girls -- a 9-year-old and two 8-year-olds -- were going about their business July 18, when one of the suspects allegedly came up and grabbed the Mickey Mouse jewelry box where they kept their profits.

One of the girls' mothers confronted the suspects and was allegedly pushed in the face by 17-year-old Johntae Breon Washington. He now faces charges of assault and battery, according to the newspaper.

Pontiac 50th District Judge Rhonda Gross ordered Washington to pay a $350 fine or serve time in the Oakland County Jail, the News reports, adding that Washington did not come up with the fine and will be behind bars for the rest of the week.

A second suspect, 19-year-old Bario Stephon Johnson, was charged with possession of marijuana for allegedly having a marijuana cigar behind his ear while talking with officers at the scene. Gross gave him a $250 fine or 15 days in the Oakland County Jail. His fine was paid at the court and he was released until a future court date, the News reports.

Police are looking for a third suspect.

Keith Aldrich, the stepfather of one of the girls, tells the Chicago Tribune he'll ask prosecutors to consider child endangerment charges against the three suspects.

"The family of the girls have been very grateful, and the public has been outraged," Pontiac Police Sgt. Kevin Braddock tells the Detroit News. "We are still working on getting the third suspect in custody."

Related: Mom Guilts Sons Into Committing Armed Robbery

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Comments (111)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)

Smarty Pants 7-23-2010 @ 9:45AM

Are you kidding me?? Off with a fine? throw the book at those teenagers-- what on earth could they have learned by just having to pay a fine-- they deserve jail time-- just for being stupid.

If they were celebrities they would just be sentenced to rehab-- maybe that is what they need. URG!

Hatejonandkate 7-24-2010 @ 6:28AM

that was just the initial hearing, the court date is later.

Tess 7-24-2010 @ 7:47AM

Unless I was out front watching my kids, I don't think with the way things are today that I would let them have do this with strangers stopping by. This was cute way back when but maybe not so safe in today's world. Http://www.backyardactivitiesguide.info

Ralph DeMattia 7-24-2010 @ 8:58AM

Smarty, I've got a better idea; have each one of those turds pay the girl $100.00 that she must put in a bank account, but let her also have $20.00 from each of them to have fun with now!

John 7-24-2010 @ 10:27AM

The kids are lucky they weren't hurt. Keeping your kids safe when they are online is just as important as when they are outside. Here are some articles and resources to help keep your kids safe online. - HtTp://bit.ly/95IK0y

Jackie Butler 7-24-2010 @ 2:50PM

Agreed! If the victim's were the First Daughters ( Obama's baby girls ) these thugs wouldn't see daylight for at least a year AND their Momma's wouldn't be on TV screaming what " good boys " they really are ( they'd be too ashamed! )! All a fine does is tell them you CAN buy your way out of your responsibility for your bad deeds!

JessicaL 7-28-2010 @ 11:25AM

How could they rob little girls? The world gets worse and worse everyday.

Mihir 7-23-2010 @ 10:27AM

can we just take Johnson and Washington out back and shoot them in the ankles right now? i can guarantee they won't be running away from any more crime scenes at least.

or for ironic punishment. make them run a lemonade stand (supervised by these girls and a cop) for 2 weeks. right where all their friends can see them.

PaperRN 7-23-2010 @ 12:54PM

Your ironic punishment would be GREAT!!!
PLUS some jail time & mandatory counseling.
Hit them Hard when they are young and hope they straighten up.
Sick and tired with the perpetuation of thug mentality in some segments of society. Don't want me to be prejudiced?
THEN STOP YOUR MEN & SONS FROM BEHAVING LIKE THUGS
Then we can sit and talk about EQUALITY

Marie 7-24-2010 @ 6:40AM

I LOVE IT! Yes, make them run a stand. Yes, yes, yes.

Ralph DeMattia 7-24-2010 @ 8:57AM

SUPER IDEA! But also see my suggestion to SmartyPants.

belivesinfairys 7-24-2010 @ 11:24AM

yea matbe have fox news cover the event ,and make the teens say "I AM DEFINATELY NOT SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER"then point to the girls and say "shes my boss" after each purchase...

txblkleon 7-24-2010 @ 1:23PM

Mari, James, do the world a favor and please pratice birth control. Don't make the mistake your mothers and fathers made. We don't need more racist stupid fools.

billyboyyyyy 7-23-2010 @ 11:31AM

I dont know if it was something in the air on July 18th, but my daughters' Lemonade Stand was also robbed. They only got away with the 5 Galon cooler full of Lemonade, but robbed none-the-less. I called the Police and the News Station, but no one cared enough to do anything about it. My heart goes out to those girls. Bless you and keep up the good work.

Ralph DeMattia 7-24-2010 @ 8:57AM

That is NOT right! I know it's not a murder or bank robbery, but think how your little girl would have felt had a cop taken a few minutes to investigate" the heist for her! I did this very same thing 50 years ago for a neighborhood boy who had $2.35 stolen from his stand in Texas. I found the little s**t that did it and made him give the kid $25.00 as repayment and a "fine". That little boy graduated from The University of Maryland in 1978 with a master's in business and will be retiring in 3 years as the chief computer analyst for Hewlett Packard with 3 million $ in a retirement account, of which he sent me a check 3 months ago for $150,000.00 (One Hundred Fifity-Thousand) as gratitude for what I considered a small gesture, but he said in a letter included with the check that he never forgot my gesture. You never know!

billyboyyyyy 7-23-2010 @ 11:31AM

I dont know if it was something in the air on July 18th, but my daughters' Lemonade Stand was also robbed. They only got away with the 5 Gallon cooler full of Lemonade, but robbed none-the-less. I called the Police and the News Station, but no one cared enough to do anything about it. My heart goes out to those girls. Bless you and keep up the good work.

Alicia 7-23-2010 @ 2:52PM

Yes, this a horrible and disgusting thing to do, but really? "Throwing the book at them"? Has anyone else read the statistics that links time spent in juvi to increase in severity of crimes for young people? Also, no one was seriously hurt, besides being "pushed in the face," which while unpleasant, is not really life-threatening. Do you really want to ruin the lives of three kids because of $40? Make each of them pay $40, with interest, to the little girls.

Byl 8-04-2010 @ 1:11PM

Alicia, It's because of people like you that mutants like this exist in this society. The mealy mouths have been spouting your kind of drool for much too long a time. Three healthy teenaged Mandingo Warriors attacking three little girls and their mother...and you snival about ruining their lives for $40.00! You are right...let's wait until they kill someone and then we can send them to a Juvi center for a year. Is there a certain amount that one must steal before they are brought to justice...100, 200, 1000 dollars...or just when they get around to YOU?
These three are prime examples of the lowest form of life and should be treated as such! Put them in with some other tough guys and we will see how "bad" these twerps are....But we already know the answer to that don't we?

Jackie 7-24-2010 @ 7:57AM

Please! It's coddled brats like this, that end up raping your daughters, robbing you at ATM machines, and more.
Yes, you are right, the girls were not harmed, luckily. And even if they only "pushed" one of the mothers in face....it's obvious these teens have NO respect for others.
These "teens" were 17 & 19. Both old enough to drive, and one
can vote. I doubt they did it for the money, but more for the "thrill", and because they are punks who think they are tough.
If they only had to re-pay the girls their $40, there would be no "consequences" for their actions..... therefore, it would be a "green light" to do more severe crimes in the future.

Rich 7-24-2010 @ 8:25AM

I have a better idea. Forty lashes each. I bet they'd never rob another lemonade stand again. Why put them in jail at the taxpayers expense? Give them their lashes, and let them be on their way. If they ever have a second offense, then they get eighty lashes. Yea, I know, it sounds pretty extreme. But I bet it would be much more effective than what we are doing now.