So when asked why he started the fire, the little one replied, “I was mad.” Mad? Mad? Ooh, we can show him mad. What if this fire had not been contained? What if homes were destroyed? Whose going to pay for this? Initially after reading the first story you might think, “poor kid, accidentally started a fire.” Then you realize that he started it out of anger. Something is wrong with this picture. When you have a child deliberately starting fires, there may be a bigger problem. In the report, those close to the case say, they’ll get the child whatever help he needs. It would be good to see that.
Parental responsibility? Whose fault is it when this type of crime takes place? What about the parents ability to pay? Sometimes, we tell parents that they are responsible for their childs mistakes, especially when it involves destruction of property. In this case, why was this child alone? Why was this child out by himself? Well, some parents think it’s ok to let their child roam freely. It’s a way to create a “free” environment. But when something bad happens, and their child was involved, it becomes everyone else’s problem. This would involve the community as a whole. If something were to happen and homes were damaged, there is no way this mother would be able to pay financially for her childs actions. Therefore, this child should more than likely not been slapped on the wrist.

Perhaps he should have a stay in a Juvenile Assessment center of some sort. Give him the chance to see what his actions were, and let him feel “responsible” in a sense. When you blame the parents instead of the child, it creates a feeling of diplomatic immunity on the childs mind. They eventually feel that they can go around and commit all sorts of crimes and their parents will be held liable. It’s not fair on the parent when they have done all they can to teach their child right from wrong. Now of course, it is also a possibility where the laws can be changed where parents would be considered negligent if their child is out alone without any supervision. In which it is strange that we don’t already have a rule like that in place.

If this were enacted, then DCF could get involved and find out if there is negligence in the home and then intervene where that concerns. Not much in this case is being done in an orderly fashion. He should have been held longer.

story below…

Palm Bay police have been on high alert because of a rash of suspicious brush fires. Monday, investigators charged an 8-year-old with arson for setting a fire near Addison Avenue and Apache Street.

Police don’t think the child is a serial arsonist, but do believe he set a fire on a vacant lot in his neighborhood with a lighter he found on the ground. Police decided to file charges in the hopes of preventing it from ever happening again.

The brush fire set was a small one, but the response by Palm Bay police certainly wasn’t.

“I would never do it again,” 8-year-old Kenard Snyder told WFTV. “I almost went to jail.”

Snyder is facing misdemeanor arson charges after police say he admitted to starting a brush fire Monday afternoon. But police didn’t take him away; they turned him over to his mother.

“Why did you start the fire?” WFTV reporter Mel Holt asked the boy.

“I was mad,” he said.

Neighbors like Bob Williams were just unnerved. Williams and a passerby grabbed hoses to douse the flames to keep them from spreading to nearby homes until firefighters arrived. Another child in the neighborhood, who witnessed the incident, told investigators the fire was set.

“I know kids do a lot of things out of boredom, out of not knowing what the end results going to be,” Williams said.

“He’s 8 years old. He needs help and we’ll get him that help,” said Yvonne Martinez, Palm Bay Police Department.

Snyder’s mother told WFTV she wants him to get that help, too.

Palm Bay police wants to enroll the 8-year-old in a fire starter intervention program before there are bigger issues, like the one the department is dealing with now. There have been more than 300 small fires in Palm Bay in the past 15 months.

In fact, there were two other unrelated suspicious fires in Palm Bay on the same day the elementary schooler was tracked down by police. By reaching Snyder now, investigators hope this fire will be his last.

Kenard’s mom told WFTV he has a younger sibling who’s had some fire issues. She’s hoping both children can be enrolled in an intervention program.