Resident: Lakeside High Students Huffing My AC Coolant
The victim photographed students huffing freon behind his home Monday afternoon.
A Briarcliff-area man told DeKalb County police he photographed Lakeside High School students huffing refrigerant from the air conditioning unit behind his home Monday afternoon.
The victim said it wasn't the first time he's had issues with various students skipping class. They've vandalized his home in the 2500 block of Mercedes Drive before, he said, and shortly after 2 p.m., he hid in his basement and photographed a group of students huddled around the AC unit, passing around a plastic bag of freon and huffing it. One of the students laid on the ground "to get some of the drift of the refrigerant," the report said.
The students left behind three bookbags, the plastic bag and an umbrella.
The responding police officer took some of the photos to Lakeside High Principal Joe Reed to identify the students, and the princpal said he also planned to meet with the complaintant to get additional photos of students who have been involved in a previous incident at his home.
The homeowners said they want the damage to their AC unit fixed.
Crash
12:58 pm on Friday, March 8, 2013
I had to go to the morgue at Emory to identify the body of a young friend who died while huffing freon. How stupid and sad.
Lou
2:05 pm on Friday, March 8, 2013
The last sentence: "The homeowners say they want the damage to their AC unit fixed." By whom? It would be great if the families of the juvenile delinquents could be held accountable for the damage inflicted by their sons. What about the previous principal of Lakeside who treated the homeowner so callously and rudely when he reported a similar incident to her? She should be fired from the system but, of course, that would be "racist." And what DeKalb County official said this, previously quoted in another article, "That's what happens when some people have things and others don't" (maybe not an exact quote but close)? No wonder there are those trying to break away from the cesspool that DeKalb County government has become.
Kay Clark
2:35 pm on Friday, March 8, 2013
I think that the normal process would be that the students would be arrested, charged with their crimes (trespassing, property damage, theft, etc...), go to some form of trial or intervention, be put on probation and have to pay restitution to the home owner – and it should be kids who pay it, not their parents.
Herman Lorenz
11:19 am on Saturday, March 9, 2013
Six students were "arrested" yesterday. That's juvie-speak for being required go to Juvenile Court (come to think of it, that's a good name for that crowd).
TV5 reported it, and had a doctor making the comment that it causes a quick high but may cause death. With all the tv ads, that sounds like a normal drug. It is hard to get teenagers to think like adults (who just drink and drive).
Seriously, I told each of the reporters to include my comments that this is 3/10 of 1% of the students. I asked all of them not to imply that Lakeside is a hotbed of drugs and criminals. WSB did it seriously; 11Alive didn't even mention Lakeside. TV5 was a little looser in their comments, but did quote me a little.
Herman Lorenz
11:22 am on Saturday, March 9, 2013
And BTW: I never said anything about restitution. This is the seventh breakin or theft. No legal action has ever resulted in restitution. I don't even think about it any more.
Enuff Govt Already
4:29 pm on Saturday, March 9, 2013
Just an off the cuff thought. I believe the legal system looks at it as the students being in the custody of the school system and as I understand the story the students were truant from Lakeside HS. Send the school system a detailed invoice for your property damage, maybe they'll just unwittingly pay you at least the cost of your deductable with all the other money they pay out.
Herman Lorenz
5:19 pm on Saturday, March 9, 2013
Enuff Guv guy: If I may quote a court administrative person after a break in a few years ago: "That's just what happens when some people have things and others don't". They don't care about the school system. And BTW, i don't know what your deductible is, but ours is $5,000 per incident.