YouTube-era crime and punishment
Here鈥檚 a novel punishment: A Florida judge has sentenced two pranksters to one minute of YouTube shame.
With the popularity of Google鈥檚 video sharing site has come an unfortunate rise in pranks from people chasing their 15 minutes of web fame. Kids plot, film, and proudly upload their practical jokes 鈥� and sometimes, those videos wind up becoming the evidence that鈥檚 used against them in court.
That was the case for two unnamed boys who were arrested after flouting their 鈥溾�� stunt. The gag revolves around pulling into a restaurant鈥檚 drive-through window and ordering a drink; once the waitress hands you the soda, you yell, 鈥渇ire in the hole鈥� and throw the beverage back in her face.
These scofflaws pulled off the prank last July, soaking Jessica Ceponis at a Taco Bell outside Orlando. The very clever Ms. Ceponis found the video, anonymously befriended the kids online, and appealed to their hubris to confirm their identities. After a call to one boy鈥檚 mother, and another to the police, two of the boys in the car (the 16-year-old driver and the 15-year-old videographer) were arrested on battery and criminal-mischief charges.
On top of their fine and community service, the judge ordered them to post a follow-up video on YouTube. This apology, which the boys wrote and filmed themselves, had to warn other kids about the consequences of pranks. (More than 7,300 viewers so far.) It鈥檚 not , but I like discipline that think outside of the box. Once the boys have fulfilled their sentence, the charges against them will be dropped 鈥� but the YouTube video will live on.
[Via ]
