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My first arrest

My first criminal charge ever was a burglary when I was 13 years old.

One night when I was at home, a couple of friends came over and asked if I wanted to go chill with them. I said ok and we left my house.

We started walking and at first I didn't know where we were going.

Soon my homeboys told me that there was this kid that was moving and that he and his parents weren't home. So when we got to his house, I wasn't sure what I should do. Well anyway, I decided to go in the house just to look around.

When we went in, I couldn't believe how much stuff they left behind. I started looking through stuff and I realized that there was a lot of stuff that I wanted - and because no one was there to stop me - I took what I wanted.

I couldn't believe all the cool stuff I was getting. It actually felt fun at the time. I liked the rush so much, I went back to the house three nights in a row.

I never thought back then that I would be caught, but a couple days later when I saw the kid (who's house I went in) pull up at my house with his parents, I knew I was caught.

I wasn't arrested right away. A couple of months later, the Clearwater police came into my math class [at school] and read me my rights and handcuffed me right there in class. It was the worst feeling I ever had.

Ted Braden
Teen in Jail

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