No one in Waukesha is immune to poor choices, least of all teenagers. Often it’s a lack of perspective about the long-term ramifications of a decision that influences a youngster to do something that, with the benefit of hindsight, he or she later comes to regret. Unfortunately, one can’t often choose the consequences that come with his or her choices. While he or she may believe that whatever they chose to do was no big deal, authorities often disagree, and are sometimes bound by law to mete out punishments that many may view as harsh or severe.
A Minnesota youth is currently learning firsthand how grave the consequences of single poor choice can be. The 15-year old high school student was arrested after bringing a replica handgun to his St. Cloud school. The school was briefly put on lockdown as police responded to the situation and took the boy into custody. The charges he now may be facing have yet to be released.
Even in the event that no harm may have been intended by this or any other youthful decision, legal authorities often find themselves obligated to handle certain juvenile crimes with predetermined penalties. This is often true even in those situations where the court wants to show leniency to a kid that it recognizes simply had a lapse in judgment. Yet even in the event of an arrest, one’s poor choice needn’t define who they are. With the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney, a juvenile facing criminal charges may be able to earn an acceptable outcome from the court that will allow him or her to move on in life all the wiser for having been through such an experience.
Source: WQOW TV News 18 “Student brings replica handgun to Minn. school” Nov. 01, 2013