Teen Charged With Felony for Toilet Papering School Bathroom

At least once a summer growing up, I went on a toilet-papering
spree. I was far from some sort of hooligan (at least not
yet)—these were adult-sanctioned outings, generally undertaken by
one group of aunts and cousins against another group of aunts and
cousins. We would wait until after dark, creep on to our target’s
front lawn, and gleefully wrap rolls of paper around trees and
bushes and mailboxes. The point is, my mom and relatives saw toilet
papering for what it was: a harmless prank. 

Of course, we could also
twirl our pencils menacingly in class and
bring sunscreen on class field trips then. Those were different
times. In these times, a harmless prank like
toilet papering could get you a felony record, as one
15-year-old in Pittsburgh is finding out.

The unnamed teen is clearly an idiot—not only did he film
himself toilet papering the bathroom at a local elementary school,
he posted the “Toilet Paper Madness” video—in which he can be both
heard and seen—publicly to YouTube. He also seems like kind of a
jerk. 

But teen boys can be jerks. Most grow out of it. Maybe after
being suspened for 10 days—which he was, in April—our teen
toilet paper vandal would have thought twice before doing it again.
Or maybe not. Who knows? But one of the most surefire ways to
ensure a wayward/jerk kid doesn’t grow out of it is to saddle that
kid with a criminal record, and that’s what this teen is now
facing.

After school officials identified him in the YouTube video
through his voice and shoes, “the police got involved,” CBS
Pittsburgh reports. The teen admitted everything. Now he’s been
charged with felony vandalism, criminal mischief, and disorderly
conduct.

“Senseless act,” Lt. Thomas Kolencik told CBS about the toilet
papering. Sure. But more senseless than charging an
already-disciplined teen with a felony for clogging school
toilets?