Who are any of you to judge? Yes, these boys have made a huge life altering mistake but that doesn't make them horrible people. I honestly doubt that any of you know these boys, but instead know of what they've done. Reputation is the main idea you all are making these judgments off of, which doesn't make you right. I'm sure you all have done something stupid in your life, whether it was this bad or not, i know i have. I was a major drug addict before i even reached high school, does that make me a bad person, do i deserve to go to jail and rot in hell? no. I will admit the choice these boys made was a bad one, and that they do deserve some kind of punishment, but not as harsh as you want. They did not harm anyone physically, and they didn't not do anything that majorly affect people's lives. They stole item, which I'm sure they pay it back. They need to be showed it is not okay, and set back on the right path. They will be working on that. I know these boys and with the right people in their life they will be set straight, so until then don't talk about them like you are know them for exactly who they are, because you don't you merely see what you want to see, and that's a set of boys who have tore Calumet to shreds.

i knew one of the kids and i am not suprised he did this. I remember thinking to myself one day seeing how he acted and i knew some people were meant to do good in this world and actually do something with their life and go to school or join the military because they wanted to not becaues they had to. He was very cocky and i think he figured he could get away with it and the fact he was dumb enough to do it over and over again until he got caught shows something. No respect. I think this kid will spend alot of his life behind bars or if he mans up and joins the military because he has no other option.

I know the victims son and daughter in law. What a mess this has caused.

My perspective of this whole situation, is just this it doesn't pay to blame, or badger, or condem, but the fact is they all did the crime, whether or not one followed the other. If your present your at fault. I myself was brought up in an alcholic home, with mental abuse and at the same time could say there were times when I had the best parents in the world. or thought I did till I seen some other fairytale family. The facts are you could be a child brought up in a very strict home where parents don't drink, the kids have all what they need and maybe to much, or a family who has great parents and no money, or a family that isn't perfect because they were not home or drank. but I told myself, I would not choose to raise my children that way, and did the opposite, however, there still are children that get into trouble no matter what, just because of peer pressure, lack of love, alcholism, drugs, parents not home like they use to be. There could be a list a mile long, but who is the one to say NO, the juevenile or the 18 yr old. Who did the crime? they both did, so who should pay, they both should. If everyone were perfect at raising there children, are you saying there wouldn't be crime at all. Well, my opinion of that is, sometimes we ourselves have low self-esteem, feel like we don't fit in, or do the things we do to be liked, Peer pressure at school can be as bad as living in a disfunctional home, because kids are afraid to talk how they really feel. or do things to fit in whether right or wrong.kids can be very mean, and hurtful. I wish that everyone could get in someones head and no how that person feels so you could help them in the areas they need, we has parents just try to give them direction, be there for them and do the best we can to hope that they turn out well. However, that doesn't always happen and what would make this place a better place to live in would be to learn that crime does not pay, it hurts other people, it violates there rights, it can get someone badly hurt. but when you do the crime you do no right from wrong. and if your wrong then learn by them mistakes and go on. but now the crime was done, so only you kids know who is at fault the leader the follower, so truth is the best, get rid of the quilt, pay for what you have done. straighten out your life, make yourself proud of yourself, not for just your parents or the world but for you!

All this theft and burglary that has been going on in the area by, 'juveniles' isn't going to stop until one of the little pricks gets shot, IMHO. Put the fear of God and lead into their naive little hearts/minds. They do all these criminal acts because they know that the can most likely get away with it.
I too am tired of people who are under the age of 18 getting off light because of their age, as though there is some, sudden transformation when a person turns 18. Happy 18th birthday! POOF! "Oh wow, I am an adult now. I see the error of my past childish ways!" Lol, not.
I agree that we need accountability as a society. Take responsibility for ones actions and not lay blame on others.

give me a break! your brother has been in alot of trouble like Al has said. He was at school braging about it. Don't try and make him sound like a victim, because he's not.He is a trouble maker, he is mean, and disrespectful. Brock is the one that fell in with the wrong people, not your brother, or that other one. It's good to standby your family, but harmful to enable them.

Sounds like this has been going on for some time. As far as I'm concerned, as a parent, no 16 year old should be out until "early Sunday morning". Nothing good can come of 16 year olds being out at that time of night.

First of all, let me say that I am not a fan of online posting forums. If they were used in a positive manner, that would be a different story. More often the discussions are negative, spread rumors and ignorance.

I am a victim (most likely) of these young men from early autumn. I'm not going to blame the parents. (I don't even know them.) I will however blame the young men - all of them. Some of these postings argue over whether or not a minor should be held accountable (reminder the youth is 16 not 6) and there are also accusations of a "mastermind" or one youth who is worse than the other. Does that really matter? They all did the crime(s)? There was a time in society in which choices resulted in consequences. A society that believed in accountability. There has been a recent disturbing trend, particularly with our youth, in a decline in personal responsibility. Overall, these young men obviously shouldn't be in prison forever but they should have a harsh consequence as determined by a fair justice system. They all know right from wrong and I don't care what has happened to them in the past. It doesn't give them the right to violate the life of others.

I am waiting for my day in court. We recently relocated back to the UP and knew we would take a substantial financial loss to do so, but we believed the benefits of the area would far outweigh the financial loss. My family was just getting back on our feet when we were robbed and vandalized by these young men. The monetary value is well over a couple thousand dollars; the time I spent away from my family cleaning up the mess they created can never be replaced. The money was just below my deductibles but I was notified that our area has increased insurance rates due to the increase in theft so not only have I been a victim but a people of the area as well. We've all paid in insurance rates for these acts of theft.

I work hard. The other victims work hard. These young men worked hard to ruin what others truly earned. They need to be held accountable. They deserve a fair punishment and the victims deserve justice and restitution.

EVERY individual has the opportunity to make a choice. There's no reason to blame one of these young men more over the others. They are all guilty. I say, "NO slap on the wrist to these young men!" Let's show society and youth that if you do make poor choices and commit a crime... you really will do the time.

please, these kids were caught red handed with thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods from many other people from past crimes,guns, tools, phones... they had been at this for some while... they were running a muck,there is still more than half of the stolen goods missing yet. this is not a misdemeanor, this is a felony. who knows how long this has been taking place. to think all the while too that surely others would have known what they were up to. that makes who ever knew anything a criminal as well as them. saying you're sorry does not cut it, and defending blatant acts of wrong is no better, there is wrong and there is right nothing in between.
this wasn't the first time they did something wrong, they are suspects connected to almost every local theft that has happened in the past year...
two of the crimes directly connected took place on sunday evenings after midnight, isnt that strange? school night? i think i would know if my kids were in bed on a sunday night?

Obviously your parents were right in that he didn't deserve his license if he's going around being involved in thefts of ATV's and vehicles, but that really is beside the point. What I wanted to point out is that I hope you realize that you just publicly identified your family to the entire UP when otherwise it wouldn't be released because your brother is a minor.

I agree with you, here in the,up. I'm Brock's father and what right do you have to bad mouth Brock and his parent's. He is your friend too. Me and you both know who is the trouble maker here and who it rubbed off on. Brock is a good person and so are we. If we could have, he would have had everything.Brock was the one that was hanging around with the wrong people. He didn't get kicked out of school recently for peeing out the class room window or setting fires locally. Brock was never in trouble and you know it. And now there saying he did it all. They were all involved and I know it wasn't Brock's idea and he's the only one getting the punishment. This is unfair and you's two should fess up, Brock did, and he's sorry for all the grief he's caused the victims and us as parents, we had no idea. Were really sorry.

Here in the U.P., an excellent point was made in your post.

To Josh, I too can understand your anger, however to say that your brother was taught right from wrong is not quite accurate. Your parents may have tried to teach him right from wrong, but obviously something didn't sink in. If it had he would have stepped back and had no part in breaking the law. Whatever his reasons were for taking part in what happened, the bottom line is that he was still in the wrong and deserves punishment, just like the other 2. He is your brother, and you love him, and that is wonderful, however there is no denying he made the wrong choice. Period.

I Know the minor and family very well. For everyone who THINKS the minor was giving everything in life???? Is totaly mistaken!!! There are not time outs in this family. As for having poor roll models like people think????? Wrong AGAIN!!!!!! Parents are good roll models, educated with good jobs. Not drunks or don't care about there kids. The minor did not do this to get attention from his parent's. He made a really bad judgement call. Like none of us ever have once in our lives??? There is no excuse for what they all did. As for him being released early. It's because of his age, that the law. I don't apperciate people calling these brat's or a-hole's. How would you feel if this was your kid??? Yeah, I know what your thinking. MY kid would never do such a thing. You can never say never!!!! Parents don't have a crystal ball. To predict what their kids will do in the furture. It does not matter if a child was born with a silver spoon or not. A child can be raised with the best roll models and never want for anything, and can still committe a crime. They can fall into the wrong crowd. Become drunks, criminals, drugs abuser, etc.

I understand your frustration. It's definately not nice to see people bashing your family. On the other hand, you just bashed the oldest one and his family. You're wrong. He has not been in and out of trouble. This is his first run-in with the cops. Just because your brother is the youngest, does not mean he's innocent and just doing it because they did. All of them played a part in it, they should all take full responsibility. Yes, he may have fell in the wrong crowd, but so did the other two.
Thank you for your service to this country.

did any of these comments, realize these kids were running a theft ring going back for who know's how long? i was a victim of the theft on a sunday night 4 weeks ago in my yard no more than a 50 ft away from where i slept, the neighbor got hit as well. I have been near crazy with thought as to who could have stolen from me, do i have enemies? was i targeted? i have been ridiculed for not locking my doors, the U.P. as i have known it is special, my parents, parents are from here, its been a safe place. i am glad they got caught, till someone violates your property, taking from you what you work hard for. you will not understand the frustration, it may not seem like a big thing till it happens to you.

First of all I am the minor's older brother. And it absolutely pisses me off to see you judge my brother and my parents on one accident that happened. First of all the minor (my brother) was simply hanging out with the wrong crowd.He got let home to my parents because he is only 16 and could not get put in jail even if he did deserve it. I know right from wrong and so does he. He just doesn't have good judgment on people and how the are. My parents never gave us anything we ever wanted I bought everything I have! He is 16 and isn't aloud to get his drivers license because my parents believe he doesn't deserve it yet. There is no such thing as a time out in my house never has been either! You answer to the rage of my father which isn't a very good thing at all. The oldest one out of the bunch has been in and out of trouble his whole life and my brother was just along for the ride. So what I'm saying is don't be saying anything negative towards my family when you don't know any of us. I have a good judgment of character thanks to the U.S. Army and what I seen you people is stuck up "goes to church every Sunday" bunch of whiners! Damn how old are you people? Your noses must be so high in the air your brown nosing god. If you want my judgment on you people... That's it. My brother is not a bad person by any means and my parents are not bad parents at all they are not drunks and they don't spoil us. We don't have video games or dirt bikes or any of that crap. I have the stuff I bought and he's got what he bought. My parents both work full time to support us they don't have time to spoil us nor do they have the money to. As far as I'm concerned you people talking about my family can go to hell. I'm serving this country and I'll be gone soon so to see you people disrespecting my family like this I'll tell you what, I won't be fighting for you in fact I'd rather be fighting you. Have a good lonely life because nobody likes people like you.

Brent W.'s comment was right on the mark with the problem with half of today's kids. The other half have no guidance whatsoever and run around pulling crap like this in hopes that someone (hopefully a parent, I am sure) will wake up (sober up) and actually show that they care. If these children came from homes like this, with parents that don't give a rip about what their kids do, then odds are they were looking for some attention, someone, anyone to show that they are important in their lives.

It is sad to see how many children there are out there with no one to teach them right from wrong, to give them what one needs to be a productive member of society. As bad as I feel when my children are punished for misbehaving, I know that in the long run they will be better people for it. I am not here to be my child's friend, I am here to be his parent and make sure that he knows he is important and that he knows right from wrong.

I know one of the men involved too. his life was not easy and that is NOT an excuse, but don't judge people too harshly when you have no idea of the full story. There is NO excuse for this, hopefully all of them will learn their lesson. Six months ago this person was a totally different person - not sure what happened but hopefully he can get his life back on track. and the others too ....

I, too, know these kids. Two of them I know pretty well, the other I don't really know too much. I guess it depends at which angle you know them, to have your opinion on whether or not they would do something like this. The two older ones were a little shock to me. I can't say I'm surprised, but at the same time, I never knew they were capable of it to this degree! They were all decent kids, one for sure had a good head on his shoulders and now he ruined it. You're right. They were all mis-guided to different extremes and there weren't very good role-models in their lives. BTW, they WERE NOT given everything in their lives.

what are the kids names?

this is to brent w. i personally know all three of these kids. not one of them was ever given anything like you assume. if they were given everything they needed/wanted they wouldn't be doing this. they are all misguided with poor role models. I know one of them for sure was the last kid you would ever expect this of. One of them you could see him doing it and the other one you wouldn't put anything past him. I am almost certain that they will all get a slap on the wrist, but i hate to say it that they should get what they deserve. Which houghton county is incapable of unless it is a drunk driving they do nothing.

I know one the persons involved and i'm not surprised!

(This is purely sarcastic; I agree completely with you!) But...Aren't you gonna go on Oprah tell her how scarred you are?? You could most likely get LIFE for your parents.

Remember when you were afraid to get into trouble because you feared your dads belt across your hiney more than any police officer or teacher? Some kids have no fear anymore because they now have "time outs". Oh my aching hiney wouldve loved to have a time out verses the wrath of my dads belt strap, but the strap did teach me right and wrong and I am no worse for it.

these were obviously some clowns dumb enough to keep riding and not dump the vehicles after a joy ride like earlier joy riders dumping the trucks in the ponds or burning them.

You're absolutely right, Jason....my thoughts EXACTLY! It is unbelievable that these 'little' CRIMINALS get off the way they do. The laws need updating - that's the problem. In the days of past, very little ever happened like this cuz kids knew better, because they were raised properly. Now days, this sort of stuff happens all the time. Parents keep giving their little brats EVERYTHING they want (without having a job to earn it) Cell phones, video games, laptops, cars, pay their insurance, etc, etc. So it should be no surprise when we have the same kids committing grand thefts nowdays because they are used to getting WHAT they want, WHEN they want - for NOTHING. There is ZERO respect for anything or anyone else. There are more and more big-city crimes being done by these delinquents in our areas like never before. Keep it up parents, you're raising a "wonderful" new generation!! I bet these little
a-holes will get home probation, and that's it. PLUS, it will be wiped clean of their permanent record at 18. Same types are the ones who will reort to selling drugs for money - if they aren't already doing so. Nice justice system we got, hey???

Criminals disgust me. I am confused as to how the minor was released so early. Is vehicle theft, breaking and entering and resisting arrest such minor offenses now a days that one not need see a judge before going home to mom and dad?