Police: 2 boys confess to preschool pumpkin heist

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two juvenile suspects have confessed to picking clean a pumpkin patch that was cultivated by New Mexico preschoolers, police said Friday.

According to investigators, the two boys admitted raiding a small pumpkin patch cared for by students at Eastern New Mexico University's Child Development Center.

The school has received dozens of donated pumpkins since news of the plunder went viral.

Surveillance footage released Friday showed a group of boys walking around the university at night as one kicks around a pumpkin like a soccer ball. Another boy carries a pumpkin away, the footage showed.

School officials found the handful of pumpkins missing and vines destroyed Monday morning. The Portales school's 26 students had studied and watered them since they were sprouts, officials said.

Eastern New Mexico University police said surveillance footage of the heist and a tip led investigators to the boys.

Eastern New Mexico University Police Chief Brad Mauldin said once the two boys were confronted they confessed pretty quickly. "This wasn't a hard case to break at all," Mauldin said. "The evidence was all right there."

Footage also shows two other male juveniles involved, and authorities are expected to question them soon, police said.

Two of the suspects are 15 years old, and the other two are both 14.

Authorities say criminal damage to property and criminal trespass charges are expected.

Elaine Gard, the center's director, said the students likely will forgive the alleged thieves. "They probably won't understand everything that's going on but will still want to know, 'Why didn't they just ask permission?'"

She said most school officials believe the theft was more of a prank than an act meant to hurt the children.

Gard said that, since news of the heist spread, the school has received around 40 donated pumpkins, and 150 more are expected Friday. A pumpkin carver from Boston also was sending over a specially carved piece with the university's logo, she said.

___Follow Russell Contreras at http://twitter.com/russcontreras .

--http://news.yahoo.com/police-2-boys-confess-preschool-pumpkin-heist-173305914.html

-----------------------------------------------------------my translation-----------------------------------------------------

警方称：2名少年认罪--偷走幼儿园的南瓜

美联社消息——周五，警方称，两名未成年犯罪嫌疑人供认他们私自采摘了一小块南瓜地中的南瓜，这些南瓜是新墨西哥州的一些学龄前儿童种植和悉心照顾的。

调查人员称，这两名男孩承认了对这块南瓜地的破坏。这块地是由东部的新墨西哥大学儿童发展中心的学生照顾的。

自从这则盗窃消息传出后，这所幼儿园已获赠几十个南瓜了。

周五公布的监控录像显示，一伙青少年晚上在幼儿园附近游荡时，其中一名少年把一个南瓜当作足球来踢，另一个则搬走了一个南瓜。

周一早上，幼儿园工作人员发现几个南瓜失踪，南瓜藤也被破坏。校方称，学校中的26名学龄前儿童从植物还在发芽的时候就开始观察它们、为它们浇水。

学校的保安称监控录像和一些小消息使调查人员怀疑那两名青少年。

校方的安保人员Grad Mauldin说，这两名少年一旦面对这些证据，他们会很快认罪。他说，“这不是一个很难调查的案子，案件的证据很充分。”

监控录像显示还有2名少年参与其中，警方将随后会向他们询问犯罪经过。

两名犯罪嫌疑人仅15岁，其他两名仅14岁。

警方称他们将被指控损坏财产和非法侵入他人土地或房屋。

儿童发展中心的主任，Elaine Gard说，幼儿园的小孩子们很可能会原谅这些所谓的小偷。他们可能不明白事情的严重性，但他们还是想知道，那些大男孩为什么没有征求他们的许可就拿走了南瓜。

Elaine Gard说，大多数学校工作人员相信这种盗窃行为更可能是一种恶作剧，而不是为了让小孩子伤心而故意为之。

Gard说，自从这则偷盗的消息传出，该幼儿园已收到捐赠的大约40个南瓜，估计到周五收到的南瓜将超过150个，一位波士顿的南瓜雕刻家甚至专门寄来了一个刻有该校校徽的南瓜。

---------------------------------my thoughts------------------------

How to deal with wild kids?

I believe it would be not a big deal if the news happened in our country. Just some pumpkins. After all, here, these wild kids have done many events recently. For example, a woman was killed by a brick from high floors, and the troublemakers are 2 boys, 8 years old, and they have thrown sundries for some time, but unfortunately, the grow-ups didn’t draw enough attention.

Well, it is unreasonable to blame or charge those thoughtless juveniles and children, but our attitude should be serious extremely. This kind of behaviors should not be treated as pranks. The parents should pay more attention to the education or guidance, especially for these bad and damaging behaviors. In a word, let them aware what is wrong and should not do.

Thinking over and over, I admit that it is not easy to deal with wild kids indeed.