Arizona Criminal Code 13-1506. Burglary in the third degree; classification
A person commits burglary in the third degree by: Making entry into any part of a motor vehicle by means of a manipulation key or master key, with the intent to commit any theft or felony in the motor vehicle. Burglary in the third degree is a class 4 felony.
13-1602. Criminal damage; classification
A person commits criminal damage by intentionally or recklessly without the express permission of the owner: Defacing or damaging property of another person. Criminal damage is a class 5 felony if the person recklessly damages property of another in an amount of two thousand dollars or more but less than ten thousand dollars.
Let’s see:
Making entry into any part of a motor vehicle with the intent to commit any theft: Check. I can’t read your mind, seeing as I do not know you, but I can surmise, from the broken glass all over my daughter’s carseat and parking lot along with my missing old navy bag that contained my work stuff and my first generation iPod, that you intended to steal them when you entered. Of course, maybe you wanted to try out the carseat to make sure it would accommodate your child and then you decided to take my work belongings and iPod….who knows.
Without permission of the owner: Check. My car having windows- as opposed to being made of one solid chunk of titanium- does not constitute my permission to break one of them while I was playing softball, reach in, unlock the door, and enter.
Of a motor vehicle. Check. Last I checked, Volkswagens are considered vehicles.
So with all these elements met, I think it’s safe to assume that you, whoever you are, did in fact commit burglary in the third degree along with criminal damage, when you entered my car and stole my work stuff and first generation iPod. The punishment (depending if you are a repeat offender of not): up to 15 years in prison and fines.
So really my question to you, my dear felon, is WHAT could possibly have compelled you to risk such a severe punishment for Intro to Sociology lesson plans and books and an iPod that collectively aren’t worth more than 60 bucks at a pawn shop or on Ebay? Seriously, what was the overarching NEED that spurred you to take such a risk? Do you have children at home who are starving? In that case, although I wish you just get a job, I am not upset with you. I can get new work belongings. And theoretically, you could get new kids if the first ones croak, but no one wants that. So if my work belongings and iPod went towards gummy bears or DiGiorno pizza, or other food for your kids, I sort of understand. But somehow, although, I don’t know you, I doubt it.
So what else? Hmmm… did you possibly steal my stuff because you needed to score some drugs? Not to stereotype you, of course, but you see, normal people don’t go running around committing burglary in the third degree, so I figure maybe the clutches of addiction were so strong that you HAD to break in and steal my stuff. In that case, I pity you. And I hope you can get the help you need. Because all too often people who turn to crime to pay for a drug habit end up clogging up the American prison systems, hurting their families, and adding to the culture of fear and violence in urban areas. I also realize, if you were stealing to score drugs, that your life is probably really hard and that you would never have turned to drugs in the first place if things had gone your way. But all that being said…. It kind of pisses me off to know that while I am spending countless hours making new lesson plans and activities for my students while having no iPod to listen to and driving around with a sweet get up for my car (a dog biscuit box from Costco, facing out, with foil tape), that you were running around in a blissful state of meth induced psychosis. And truthfully, while I know what the monetary value of the items you took is not very much, I really liked my work bag, dry erase markers, colored pens, iPod, and gym bag. It made me smile during my runs when a good song would come on. And to think that the few years of pleasure I had with the iPod are all gone for what, 5 scores of street drugs (sorry, I don’t know what crack or meth goes for these days) really ticks me off. So, my dear felon, just for the record, if you stole my stuff for drugs, I am kind of pissed at you. But I understand that your life sucks so I feel bad for you too.
What else could it be? Perhaps you are just some kid who was trying to show off for your friends. In that case, I am extremely angry with you. You have no excuse for your behavior. I can understand being compelled by extreme need or extreme addiction, but stealing to show off just makes you a coward and a loser. Might I suggest putting your energies into preparing for college? Statistically, you will be less likely to need to steal fancy old navy bags that contain Introduction to Sociology related materials and iPods with the increased earning potential you will have with a college degree. If you go to www.fafsa.gov, you can learn all about how to apply for student loans and pay them back. I am sure that if you spend half the time studying that you do burglarizing that you will be quite adept at the materials on the college entrance exams. May I also suggest extra-curricular activities? Then maybe you can meet some new friends who do not think it is funny or cool to commit felonies.
One last thing it could be. Perhaps with all the enemies I have created in the past few months (a whole 2 people) that leads me to believe that this was an inside job. I came to this conclusion because the vehicle in front of me and to the left of me both had their windows down which would have been easy access for you. Second, to the right of me was a brand new Audi and diagonal was a Sequoia. Both being more expensive vehicles than the 2004 VW Jetta TDI I now have. Third, the fact that I have a carseat in my vehicle should scream “I have no money” , so why would a person burglarize my car when they can break into the sweet Audi to the right? So, if it was in fact an inside job, I laugh at you. You always think you are one up on me, but you are always behind me. See, I get 600 dollars of your hard earn money EVERY month while you are now a proud owner of an iPod with my sister’s first and last name etched in the back and a sweaty towel I use at the gym. Congratulations! Once again, you got me!
That’s all I got really. I cannot think of anything other than necessity, addiction, just being a plain old dickwad, or an inside job that would cause someone to risk up to 15 years in prison for 60 bucks worth of Introduction to Sociology teaching materials and a first generation iPod. I don’t have an awesome conclusion or anything but I do want to thank you, dear felon, because I keep finding safety glass all over my car and having a chance to blend in with the rest of the AJ community for a few days.
