A mother in the Columbus, Ohio, area is distraught over her son’s continued involvement in crime and has begged police to get involved and lock him up, arguing that she had tried to help them arrest him but his continually being released stops justice from happening.
That mother is Tiffany Hammons, who, surprisingly, is begging the police to stop releasing her son for alleged car thefts. In her view, her 17-year-old son needs to face a stiff sentence in prison to be stopped and learn his lesson, whereas the current state of things, in which he is released without real punishment, is doing nothing to stop him.
Speaking about that desire that her son get locked up for his own good and for the good of the community, Hammons told WBNS-TV, “I’ve been begging and pleading – please arrest him, lock him up, do something that’s going to make him pay for the things that he’s out here doing.”
Continuing, she added that she’s tried doing her part as a mother to set her boy straight, but he keeps committing crimes and staying on the streets rather than listening to her, hence the desperate need for the strong hand of law enforcement. “I’ve done almost everything I could and it’s turning him against me, he’s going the opposite way and doing what he wants to do which is turning to the streets,” she said.
Hammons next added that she thinks he is doing it for the adrenaline rush that comes with doing something risky, saying, “I think him seeing that nothing is being done is giving him more of an adrenaline rush to go back out and do it again.”
And that adrenaline-precipitated crime spree has been substantial, making it all the more worrisome that the police keep letting him out instead of locking him up. Hammons said, “Since he’s left, that I know of, he’s crashed five cars. And I reported each and every one that I know of, and he’s still out there.”
Finally, she commented on the city’s pleas to parents to keep an eye on their kids and try to stop them from getting involved in crime, asking what the point of that is if the police then just turn those they arrest right back out on the streets. “We’re trying, but once they’re here and they leave again, then what? What are we supposed to do?” Hammons said.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein recently announced the city would be suing Hyundai and Kia because of the ease with which their cars can be stolen. Announcing that in a statement, Klein said, “The taxpayer cost of Kia and Hyundai’s negligence continues to rise as local law enforcement diverts limited resources to investigate thefts, respond to crimes and assess property destruction. It’s time we held these automakers accountable for cheating consumers and passing the buck and responsibility to clean up the mess they made onto the rest of us.”
The statement added, “Columbus contends that Kia and Hyundai have intentionally and consciously manufactured, marketed, and sold vehicles that lacked sufficient, industry-standard security features, including engine immobilizers and certain other safety and anti-theft systems, which can easily be stolen in a matter of seconds with simple tools and a USB charger. The City has spent significant resources investigating and responding to these thefts, and the City’s residents have to deal with the problems of juveniles and others illegally joy riding on Columbus streets and highways.”
Watch her here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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