Childrens Bank Robbing Criminal Outfit Known As "The Little Rascals" Have Been Brought To Justice
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The three bank robbery suspects dubbed as the "little rascals" are now in custody, according to FBI Houston.
The trio made headlines when authorities shared on social media that they were wanted for allegedly robbing a Wells Fargo bank on the North Freeway and West Road in the Greenspoint area.
Initially, a witness told officials the boys appeared to be between 14 and 18 years old. But, in the arrest update, the FBI said they are 16, 12, and 11 years old.
"The age of the younger two, that's unusual for a bank robbery," Mike Schneider, a retired juvenile district court judge, told ABC13. "It's one of the first times I've seen that."
While FBI Houston released the surveillance photos, the case is a Harris County Sheriff's Office investigation.
According to HCSO, the boys passed a threatening note to a teller. They were believed to be armed, though they did not present a weapon, and they got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Once the photos were released, HCSO started getting tips from the public. Parents of two of the boys came forward and identified them, the sheriff's office said. The third boy was handled by a law enforcement agency following a fight and recognized. The sheriff's office said authorities recovered a weapon and a distinctive item pictured in one of the photos.
The "little rascals" are charged with robbery by threat, a second-degree felony.
First things first, yes I am aware that this is the second day in a row I've blogged about bank robbery. Things always seems to happen that way for me on the blog. I don't have any specific examples of this. It's possible I'm just imagining this. But I swear it's happened to me before. If one day I decided to write some stupid fictional blog about a pervert who fell in love with a bird, the next day Reddit would present me with story about a Chilean man who was arrested for sodomizing a flamingo.
But in reference to these rascals, if there were ever a time in your life to take up bank robbing, it's when you're a minor. Committing crimes as "innocent" children is like playing with house money. For the most part, as long as you don't R or M anybody, you're going to get treated with kid gloves. Adults using children to do their illegal bidding is a strategy old as time. The Wire taught me this. If you're trying to move a brick of heroin in West Baltimore, put a 14-year old in charge of your package. Or if you've received a hot tip that your buddy's publicly traded tech company will be announcing a merger that's sure to send their stock price through the roof, just have your 8-year old son "accidently" purchase a hundred thousand dollars worth of shares from your Robin Hood account. "I'm so sorry officer, little Timmy must have hit a wildly unfortunate series of buttons. Try to take it easy on him in fake court."
Ok that second one probably wouldn't work. But you get my point. Any criminal worth their salt knows how to take advantage of children. But true child entrepreneur's will take matters into their own hands and go into business for themselves. That's what I like to imagine the Little Rascals were doing.
(not really sure why'd they be talking about their crimes on a podcast but this is how I picture the Little Rascals criminal organization)
If only I could go back and relive my tween years in a more productive manner. Instead of wasting my youth playing travel sports and masturbating with shampoo, I could have taken the time to identify the most irresponsible gun owning father in my neighborhood, befriend his overweight daughter who's desperate for attention from a male classmate, get myself invited over for gross dinner, wait until her father has finished his nightly 12-pack of Busch Heavy's and the mom is deep in a Xanax coma, then sneak into their bedroom and commandeer the family pistol. All I'd need from there is a few Guy Fawkes masks, a couple gullible friends, and a stool so I can reach the bank counter. Worst case scenario, I'm arrested and sent to juvie for a year. I'll probably have to enroll in one of those alternative schools for bad children where I would easily rise to star pupil just by knowing how to spell. Then by the time I'm an adult my life is back to normal. Best case scenario I get out of the bank with a few-thousand dollars and buy up all the candy in Bowling Green, Ohio. Low-risk, high-reward.
Because they are minors, ABC13 is blurring the initial photos, and the FBI said their names and additional details will not be released.
If the allegations are proven true, they could face probation until they turn 18 or juvenile prison until they turn 19, according to one criminal defense attorney. The 16-year-old could also be certified as an adult, but it is not likely, he said.
My sincerest "good try, good effort" goes out to the Little Rascals of Houston, Texas. I can appreciate where their heads were at. I'm sure now that the Little Rascal's have been caught, these bright young men will buckle down in the classroom and hone in on what's best for their future. They'll join a sports team, participate in after-school volunteering clubs, and turn themselves into outstanding members of the Houston community. That's how these things normally go.