Fire Started in Ellsworth Park By Teens Who 'Wanted to Stay Warm'
Three Bayside girls lit pages torn from books in the Little Free Library at Ellsworth Park Friday night, then ran away. Each nabbed a $681 fine.
Three Bayside girls each received a $681 fine after starting a fire at Ellsworth Park which they told police was because they started to “stay warm.”
At 7:39 p.m. on Friday, Bayside Police and the North Shore Fire Department received a call for a fire at Ellsworth Park from someone who said they saw four girls who had lit a fire near the tennis courts and then ran away.
Police searched the immediate area and found three girls running east along Fairy Chasm Road, directly north of the park. An officer stopped to talk with them and noticed they were all out of breath. They eventually admitted they had been at the park and had lit pages from a book on fire near the tennis courts. They all said they “Just lit the fire to stay warm.”
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The girls were taken into custody and searched at the station. One girl had a cellophane cigarette wrapper stuffed with a green leafy substance in it and a case made of Duck Tape that had a pipe inside, also full of a green leafy substance. That substance later tested positive for marijuana. One girl admitted the pipe and marijuana was hers and she had intended to smoke it later, but she wouldn’t tell police who she got the marijuana from.
Police later discovered the pages the girls had used to start the fire were from the Little Free Library at the park.
In total, all three girls, ages 14, 15 and 16, were from Bayside. The 16-year-old was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, $681, and the 14 and 15-year-olds were cited for destruction of property – vandalism, $681.
Andrew Benson
2:58 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
This disgusts me
Sarah Worthman
3:33 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Yeah, made me sad to write this one. Police reports involving teens seem to be getting weirder and weirder lately. What happened to simply toilet papering someone's house for homecoming or something more "normal"?
Steve Dan
7:59 am on Monday, September 24, 2012
That's real smart of you Sarah. Encourage, recommend or even suggest kids to TP someone's house? And you think that doing that is "normal"? Why on earth would you say something like that?
misty lee
9:38 am on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Does someone TPing your house hurt your feelings, Steve? Does it cause damage to your property? All Sarah is saying is that she would rather teenagers do harmless, old school pranks instead of lighting fires and smoking marijuana. Now please tell me Steve, which is more destructive? Next time a little toilet paper in your lawn causes damage to your property I'd love to hear about it.
Steve Dan
10:09 am on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Misty Lee....You must be related to Sarah. No one in their right mind would defend such a stupid, assinine remark! The point is not the damage. The points are: Someone needs to climb trees, porches, etc to remove the TP. Point 2....the fine is the going to impact someone. I realize 'Kids will be Kids' but for a journalist to print something like this is totally, and completely, idiotic and irresponsible. THAT IS THE POINT! And by the way....I have never TP'd someone's home nor has any of mine been TP'd. If I had ever caught one of my children doing this, they would be cleaning up the mess and then their punishment would start. I do hope that you are not a parent!!
misty lee
6:38 pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
You are a blasted idiot. I can't even believe this.
misty lee
6:40 pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
What would you do if your kid smoked pot? I'd hate to be your kid drill sergeant.
Steve Dan
7:17 pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
What IF one of my kids smoked pot? If they were still at home (which they are not) they would undergo random urine test's for one. I will ot condone the use of any drugs. PERIOD! If they were caught again, then an intervention would take place and all efforts available would be utilized to help them understand the dangers. What they do NOW, living in their own homes and living their own lives, absolutely nothing. But they would know right up front not to call me to bail them out. As for being "a blasted idiot"....if your children did damage or in some way went onto someone's property to cause damage or in some way invade that property owners comfort...if you would simply say 'Well, that's okay' then you are indeed the poster child for a bad parent. What gives ANYONE the right to cause damage or "litter" on someone else's property. Once again, you have missed the point of what I said regarding the irresponsible comments of the author (whom has not for good reason) defended her words. Most homeowners would report to the Sheriff's office that their home was TP'd. That responding deputy has much more important things to do than waste time because some parent condones such action (which you and the author seem to do). Enough said from this side! Debating this issue with you is like debating with a 2 year old.
Gregory Kluck
4:07 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
BTW, it's DUCT tape, not DUCK.