I like this judge.
Teen Gets Boot Camp for Angering Judge 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
PONTIAC, Mich. - An Oakland County judge has had enough of one 17-year-old. Cameron D. Wells, was accused of vandalizing a court office and stealing a judge's gavel, and repeatedly angered Circuit Court Judge Gene Schnelz with his behavior.
On Wednesday, the judge sentenced Wells to 56 days in a county boot camp program on a larceny charge. If he fails to complete it, he'll get 180 days in jail, and even prison time if he uses drugs or alcohol.
"Test positive one time, and I'm giving you two to four (years) in the state prison," Schnelz told the youth.
Wells' problems started when a Farmington Hills district court judge sentenced him to community service on a minor in possession of alcohol charge. But while doing the work in September, Wells was accused of vandalizing a court office and stealing the gavel.
He ended up in Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to larceny in a building, but didn't admit that he took the gavel.
"He's 17 years old," Daniel Hilf, his lawyer, told The Oakland Press after the sentencing. "He did something stupid and he was punished for it."
Hilf also asked that Wells be considered for the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which would have erased the offense from his criminal record. But Schnelz denied the request.
"He disrespected the court to the degree that he did," Schnelz said. "No, no favors. Quit whining and being a baby. You're 17 years old. A little discipline is what he needs."
