Return of... how not to steal a cellphone
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/21/nyregion/21sidekick.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Three weeks ago, Mr. Guttman went on a quest to retrieve a friend's lost cellphone, a quest that has now ended with the arrest of a 16-year-old on charges of possessing the missing gadget, a Sidekick model with a built-in camera that sells for as much as $350. But before the teenager was arrested, she was humiliated by Mr. Guttman in front of untold thousands of people on the Web, an updated version of the elaborate public shamings common in centuries past.
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Mr. Guttman also kept exchanging e-mail messages with Sasha and, eventually, her family. Then he heard from her older brother, Luis Pena, who said he was a military policeman and warned Mr. Guttman to let his sister alone.
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Last Thursday, the story of the lost Sidekick began meandering toward a conclusion. The police arrested Sasha and charged her with possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, a misdemeanor. (The police have possession of the Sidekick and plan to return it to Ivanna.) Sasha was released, but was not available to comment. Her mother offered a parting remark.
"I never in my life thought a phone was going to cause me so many problems," Ms. Gomez said.
You know, the whole story shows that there are a lot of people out there who are really great people. There are some real screwballs, too, but there are a lot of really great people in this world. Everything involved in solving this case happened because people were helping somebody they didn't even know. The legal advice; the phone calls to Luis Pena's commander - all of it. I think this shows that the "little people" can have an effect on the world, but we've got to be friendly with each other, with these other people we don't even know all that well, and be willing to do one little thing for them and for us. Of course, a little luck and some smarts helps. And exposing criminal behavior to the light of the internet.
Three weeks ago, Mr. Guttman went on a quest to retrieve a friend's lost cellphone, a quest that has now ended with the arrest of a 16-year-old on charges of possessing the missing gadget, a Sidekick model with a built-in camera that sells for as much as $350. But before the teenager was arrested, she was humiliated by Mr. Guttman in front of untold thousands of people on the Web, an updated version of the elaborate public shamings common in centuries past.
...
Mr. Guttman also kept exchanging e-mail messages with Sasha and, eventually, her family. Then he heard from her older brother, Luis Pena, who said he was a military policeman and warned Mr. Guttman to let his sister alone.
...
Last Thursday, the story of the lost Sidekick began meandering toward a conclusion. The police arrested Sasha and charged her with possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, a misdemeanor. (The police have possession of the Sidekick and plan to return it to Ivanna.) Sasha was released, but was not available to comment. Her mother offered a parting remark.
"I never in my life thought a phone was going to cause me so many problems," Ms. Gomez said.
You know, the whole story shows that there are a lot of people out there who are really great people. There are some real screwballs, too, but there are a lot of really great people in this world. Everything involved in solving this case happened because people were helping somebody they didn't even know. The legal advice; the phone calls to Luis Pena's commander - all of it. I think this shows that the "little people" can have an effect on the world, but we've got to be friendly with each other, with these other people we don't even know all that well, and be willing to do one little thing for them and for us. Of course, a little luck and some smarts helps. And exposing criminal behavior to the light of the internet.