Tulsa Victim Wants Young Burglars Punished

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK --  The News On 6 reported Thursday on four middle school-aged boys arrested for breaking into homes in east Tulsa.  One of the victims wishes they would've stolen from her, rather than what they did.

Diane was at work on Thursday when Tulsa Police called to tell her that her home had been broken into.  She was afraid the burglars may have stolen her new TV or dumped out a few dresser drawers, but instead, they trashed her house.

One Tulsa Police officer said the pointless damage made her sick.

"In here, all they did was break the mirror and took a big chunk of the mirror and sliced my waterbed," said Diane, whose home was broken into.

Diane is a hard working mother and grandmother who can't believe someone would cause so much damage to her home.

The kids, who broke in, cut up her waterbed which soaked her carpets, furniture and clothes.  Then, they took the eggs from her fridge and threw them on the walls, all over the house, her bedroom, the hallway, the living room.

She just can't imagine why.

"The thoughts.  Just want to know what thrill did you get out of breaking my stuff?" said Diane.

They came in through the window in a bedroom which will cost hundreds to replace.  They broke her pictures, so there is glass everywhere and they used something like a broom handle to poke holes in her ceiling.  Plus, they forced open her lockbox that only contained paperwork.

They also took a two liter of soda from her kitchen.

"This is the lucky room. All they did was pour pop all over the the bed. The only spot on the mattress is right here," said Diane.

Diane wonders why these kids weren't in school, why their parents didn't know where they were, why they were allowed to roam around neighborhoods, breaking into houses.

And, why instead of stealing her brand new flat screen TV, they destroyed it.

"It's inside.  This isn't broken out here," said Diane.

As far as she can tell, the kids didn't take anything, but it will take her a long time to repair the damage and replace things.  She says first on her list is an alarm system.

"They didn't have to break stuff. I don't have anything that valuable in this house. If they wanted it, I would've given it to them. They just didn't have to destroy stuff," said Diane.

One of the police officers felt so badly for Diane, they gave her an old TV they weren't using.

It'll be up to a juvenile judge to decide what happens to the boys.  Diane wants them punished so they'll never do something like what they did to her again.

Related Story:

01/08/2000  Young Suspects Arrested In Break Ins