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Four teens kicked off Amtrak

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scooter1369

scooter1369

HTTR Forever.
600 miles from home for "allegedly" stealing an iPod from another passenger.


Guess where??



Taos father upset after his sons, friends removed from Amtrak

TAOS, N.M. -- Four children, ages 12 to 15, were removed from an Amtrak train in the dark, 600 miles from home, after accusations that one of them stole an iPod.


No charges were filed against any of the children, who spent the night at the Kingman, Ariz., police station after Amtrak put them off the train at 2 a.m. Saturday as they returned home from California. Police let the four stay in the conference room until a parent retrieved them.

Zackary Sharfin, 13, and his 12-year-old brother Christopher had traveled with family friends Carley Maestas, 15, and her 13-year-old brother Anthony to visit the Maestas' children's mother in Fresno.


KVOA Tuscon
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The kids were never alone. They were released into police custody, they were transferred from city police custody to sheriff custody, the were provided a safe place to sleep and NOT in a cell....What's to overreact to? Possibly the action of the Amtrak employee by not investigating the truth to "I was just turning it in,not stealing it." but having been on Amtrak many times, they don't really have the time or the inclination to conduct that kind of investigation. It's a he said/she said situation and it's not really something they should be expected to deal with either.

Children shouldn't travel alone. Sounds to me like its a case of the parent's assuaging their own guilt for being bad parents.
 
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OCBuckWife;887943; said:
The kids were never alone. They were released into police custody, they were transferred from city police custody to sheriff custody, the were provided a safe place to sleep and NOT in a cell....What's to overreact to? Possibly the action of the Amtrak employee by not investigating the truth to "I was just turning it in,not stealing it." but having been on Amtrak many times, they don't really have the time or the inclination to conduct that kind of investigation. It's a he said/she said situation and it's not really something they should be expected to deal with either.

Children shouldn't travel alone. Sounds to me like its a case of the parent's assuaging their own guilt for being bad parents.
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I hope that flying leap didn't break a leg. teenagers travel alone everyday. Are all of their parents, bad parents? One kid finds an iPod (or steals it since you're so quick to assume the worst) and all four kids are removed from the train? Its horseshit.

This time next year, I'll be sending my 10 year old to black belt camp in Georgia. I must be an awful parent for not going along.
 
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scooter1369;888329; said:
I hope that flying leap didn't break a leg. teenagers travel alone everyday. Are all of their parents, bad parents? One kid finds an iPod (or steals it since you're so quick to assume the worst) and all four kids are removed from the train? Its horseshit.

This time next year, I'll be sending my 10 year old to black belt camp in Georgia. I must be an awful parent for not going along.
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Nope, no injuries over here.

I traveled from India to Poland to Canada to the US when I was 9. My mother was pissed about the fact that my dad did it. I shouldn't have been sent around the world alone at that age. Teenagers covers from 13 to 19 but under 15 there is no real sense of caution, in my own personal opinion. *edit* Sending one 15 year old to perhaps "supervise" the other kids is not reasonable, in that case the nascent caution a 15 year has is just not enough.*edit*
The kids in this instance were too young. They should have AT LEAST been on a plane, at least that is faster and therefore there is less time for possible problems to crop up.

I didn't say it couldn't be done effectively, nor did I say that the kid stole the iPod. What I said was that it was not an undue reaction. You can't kick one kid off and keep the others, they are traveling together, their parents expect them to arrive together, however it is that they arrive. The bad parenting comes from not expecting problems, trying their best to avoid them, and (most importantly) accepting the personal responsibility that leaving kids on their own opens them up to problems that they shouldn't expect employees and authority to deal with in a parental manner.

I'm not sure why you are reacting to my comment as though it were a personal attack. It isn't. In this specific case its bad parenting.
 
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When I went to Colorado from Pittsburgh by Amtrak,we were done eating & went into the scenic car lounge. There was me & my husband & 2 other people & we sat down but they moved a purse & a coat & back then a discman from the seat! Yes they were left there!
The young couple come back & told them they were in their seats,the elderly couple sitting there said you left your seat & your possesions don't don't hold your seat while you go & eat!
Then another elderly gentlemen stuck up for the young people who were whining about their seats being stolen from the elderly couple. He got so nasty the conductor was called & he settled it rather quickly. He said personal possessions should never be left on a seat due to theft & more importantly it does not hold your seat,so go sit elsewhere!
As for the guy that stuck up for them he was still arguing with the conductor & all he said was the next stop will be yours & I can kick you off this train! He asked the grumble fart "do you want off at the next stop"? He finally shut up but still grumbled a bit!
I thought the conductor was very even tempered with that man & had nerves of steel. I would have stopped the train right then & there & dumped his sorry a$$ off!
I do not like anybody stealing anything!
 
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