Plan B Forum

An 18-year-old Virginia man who was caught shoplifting at a costume store has accepted a rather unusual punishment.

Andrew Perry, the owner of the Halloween Express costume store in Charlottesville, told the light-fingered teenager that he would not call the police - if instead the youth stood in front of the store with a sign saying he was caught shoplifting.




Unusual punishment: The unnamed 18-year-old has been forced to wear a Bert costume and hold a sign saying he was caught shopliting

So the teenager agreed to spend six hours over two days in front of the store, in costume, holding a sign that reads: 'I got caught shoplifting at Halloween Express.' Mr Perry said he came up with the unorthodox punishment because he didn't want the shoplifter to have a criminal record.


He said: 'It could mess the rest of his life up - 18 years old, you go to get another job and it shows that you've been caught shoplifting. Nobody wants to have someone working for them who has a criminal background.'

The punishment echoes that of a more serious crime in Houston. A man who stole money from victims of crime has been ordered to stand on a busy city street with a sign saying he is a thief - every weekend for the next six years.

Daniel Mireles has been walking back and forth on Westheimer in Houston - in front of the Galleria shopping centre - with a sign saying he is a thief. In large capital letters, his sign reads: 'I am a thief. I stole $250,000 from the Harris County crime victim's fund. Daniel Mireles.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z12T6bTB8f