Howard Dean's 17-year old son : Getaway-car driver

WorldNetDaily ^ | Aug. 5, 2003 | WND

[FairOpinion]

Paul Dean, the 17-year-old son of Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, will take part in a court diversion program for his role in the burglary of a Vermont country club.

According to the Associated Press, police have pegged Dean as the getaway driver, having questioned the teen while he sat in a car waiting for four buddies to steal beer and champagne from the Burlington Country Club on June 20.

"I think this is a good outcome for Paul and for his friends, and that's what the program is designed for," Howard Dean told reporters after meeting with an official at a Vermont District Court, along with his son and wife, Dr. Judith Dean.

None of the five teen-agers will actually appear before a judge, a typical scenario for young people who have no criminal record, Paul Dean's attorney told AP.

In a few weeks, reports the news service, Paul Dean will appear before a community board that will determine his punishment. It could include community service, making restitution or writing an apology letter. Ironically, the court diversion program began while Paul's father was governor of Vermont, reports WCAX-TV.

The boys' records will be cleared within two years if they comply with the requirements of the board.

If the teens had been formally charged, the crimes potentially could have carried a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a $1,000 fine.

The beer bust took place just days before the presidential candidate kicked off his campaign for the White House. At the time, Dean said his son would "have to pay the price" for his crime, reports the Barre Montpelier Times Argus.

When asked today how the incident might affect his campaign, Dean declined to answer.

"I don't want to mix things," he told reporters. "We're not going to be talking about politics and family business at the same press conference."

[FairOpinion]

Note they didn't even have to appear in front of a judge. I bet if it weren't Howard Dean's son, they wouldn't have been so lenient.

"If the teens had been formally charged, the crimes potentially could have carried a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a $1,000 fine."

[Uncle Miltie]

"his role in the burglary of a Vermont country club."

Following in daddy's footsteps, he steals from the rich. (and pretty much intends to keep it all for himself and his "buddies".)

[FairOpinion]

[Diogenesis]

B&E and no appearance. THE FIX IS IN.

It is the Democratic way.

[Howlin]

And damn quick, too. Get it out of the way before the primaries.

I bet he has to write a letter of apology. HORRORS.

Bets on how long before he's in trouble again?

[smoothsailing]

These Deans, what a trip.

Howard, Paul, and John.

[BushCountry]

I think we should leave the kids out of it. If we want to attack the idiot on so many other levels that he left himself open too, I say find. This guy creates ammo by the bushelful, we don't need to pick on his kids to take shots at him.

[FairOpinion]

"B&E and no appearance. THE FIX IS IN.
It is the Democratic way."

--

And I found only 2 news stories on it.

Can you imagine if one of Bush's daughters have been involved in something like this? The Dems would have demanded that she be locked up for 15 years and Bush resign immediately.

[agitator]

If he was only in the getaway car, he would have only been an accessory. In any event...

[Libertina]

Can't be easy for a son, with a dad whose a liberal and busy, and in the spotlight...

[FairOpinion]

"I think we should leave the kids out of it. "

--
Apparently you have a short memory.

The media had a feeding frenzy, when one of the Bush twins was caught using a fake ID to get a drink, at age 19. (She wasn't driving).

[antti tuuri]

Give him a break. He is 17 and got caught stealing beer. Does he really deserve 15 years? Get rid of the drinking age and he would probably have bought it. Besides with a dad like that he really needs to get drunk.

[FairOpinion]

"we don't need to pick on his kids to take shots at him. "

---

Except that his kids appear to receive preferential treatment, even when they are committing a crime.

Did you see that his son and the others didn't even appear in front of a judge and weren't charged? It wasn't that they did appear, were charged and got probation? They got away scott free. As I said in my other post, can you imagine what the media and the Dems would do if the exact same thing would have happened and it would have been handled the same way, if Bush's or a prominent Republican's kid were involved?

[TBall]

It all depends if the teen's parents were members of the club or had friends who were members. Swiping some booze from the grown ups is a typical teenage stunt.

[FairOpinion]

I don't know if his parents were members, but this was not a spur of the moment thing.

From another article:

"Police said the teen waited in the getaway car June 20 while four of his friends broke into a walk-in cooler at the Burlington Country Club to steal food and liquor. Police said the burglary had been planned for at least a week. "

http://www.thechamplainchannel.com/news/2383998/detail.html

[Parley Baer]

To me the interesting part of this story will be the media. That is comparing how they treat this story compared to Bush's daughters which went on for weeks. I would suspect hardly a peep. Parley

[Ann Archy]

And whose Mother, the Doctor Judy was maybe an ABSENTEE MOTHER.

[Ann Archy]

hello, Newbie, Aug. 6, 2003!!! welcome....he was the getaway DRIVER when the kidsbroke into a Country Club! Sorry...it was not aspeeding ticket. Even for a liberal, they SHOULD know that breaking and entering and robbing is an OFFENSE!@!!! geeesh...what part of Do No Covet did you not uderstand???

[TBall]

I hope the mainstream media ignores the story entirely. I want the press to be as blatantly biased as possible. As for the thieves, it would be interesting to know just how much booze and food they tried to swipe.

[WorkingClassFilth]

You got that.

This F'er is HOT in leftist circles. My communist cousin has been spilling his seed over Dean since May Day. The DNC's next boy will be Howard unless HRC steps in.