Crime & Safety
Two Adolescent Boys Allegedly Spend Night in Front of Best Buy
Greenfield police say it is not a crime, but a question of curfew.
Dozens, if not hundreds of shoppers are already hoping to get their hands on Black Friday doorbuster deals.
Among them Wednesday were two adolescent boys, supposedly 12 and 15 years old, who witness said have been camped out in front of since Tuesday.
Although not a crime, a official said the boys, who are from Milwaukee, would be in violation of the city's curfew ordinance of 11 p.m. if they were to stay camped out throughout the night.
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The boys' mother told Greenfield Patch during a phone interview Wednesday evening her sons are 13 and 16 years old. However, when interviewed outside of Best Buy, the boys said their ages are 12 and 15.
"Twelve and 15, other than the curfew, while not illegal, I think is down right stupid to let your kid do that," Sergeant Sean Licht said. "That's me as a parent talking and not as a police officer talking. As a police officer, they would be in violation of curfew if they were not accompanied by an adult."
Find out what's happening in Greenfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The mother said the younger of the two had not spent the night outside. The boys, however, said they have been at the store front since Tuesday and stayed over Tuesday night.
"The little one is coming home in a little bit; I am going to go get him," the mother said Wednesday evening. "They have been out there since sometime after school."
Eyewitnesses confirmed the boys story, saying the boys were dropped off Tuesday and have been in their tent since. The boys corroborated the account.
"Actually him and my friend have been here since Tuesday night," the older boy said of his brother. "I had school today and came back."
The boys were interviewed at 9 p.m. in their tent Wednesday night as they sat on sleeping bags. The younger of the two boys was wearing a short-sleeved shirt as the temperatures hovered around 40 degrees.
"She comes and checks on us every once in a while along with my friend's parents too," the older boy said, noting that his friend is 16 years old.
The boys said they were camping out to take advantage of a deal on a 42-inch flat screen television, a camera and a game console.
"My 16-year-old wanted to go out there and do that," the mother said. "That is what he wants to do. He's done it before in another state we were at."
