I’ve been extremely busy the last few days — my wife was out of town and I was among other things filling in for her taking care of grandchildren part of the time — and I just now saw this, brought to my attention by Doug Ross.
For the sake of Kathryn and her neighbors, I hope they got the right guys…
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If they got the right guys, and those men were part of the basketball team (on scholarship?) you know their parents must be heart sick over the chance their children have completely blown.
Two good things about the arrests, and Frank Martin’s suspension of the five basketball players: 1) presuming these are the right guys, the vandalism will stop, and 2) since the men’s team is down now to 9 active players on the roster, it means that walk-on player Jarrell Holliman got into the first NIT tournament game and probably will again tonight against Georgia Tech…we’re proud of that because Jarrell happens to be a music major here.
I’m glad that it fell to our true musical virtuoso to explain the sports implications of the story.
Only at bradwarthen.com…
Glad to hear that Jarrell will be getting a chance to play.
Kathryn’s husband was also on a segment. I don’t remember which station.
Many damaging forms of vandalism raise questions of sociopathy in my mind. The inability to empathize wit a person you are victimizing is troubling, but how many immature youth know where to draw the line when caught-up in pranking.
In a case like this one, I tend to prefer that the school and team authorities limit the double-jeopardy likelihood and leave the major punishment to law enforcement. Team and school-sponsored consequences should be meted out, but in my mind should favor restitution, rehabilitation (such as work and repair), and a chance to earn one’s way back to the team.
I do not assume you are a trial attorney, so I will take the time to clarify two facts:
Apparently the underlying offenses were more in the nature of armed “prankings”. Nowadays, that is serious enough to be made punitive examples for all “immature youth” prone to sociopathy.
Alternatively, society can favor more relaxed penalties, as you suggested, underscoring our courts’ pattern of lowered civil expectations, higher insurance rates, and a steadier stream of public defender fees for trial lawyers financed by we taxpayers.
NOTE: S.C.’s Taxpayers foot the criminal defense bills for 80-85% of non-juvenile, non drug-related defendants. https://www.sccid.sc.gov/about-us/overview