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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Mothers Cited For Boys’ Thefts

Associated Press

The mothers of two boys accused of shoplifting from a neighborhood drug store have become the first parents cited under a new ordinance that holds parents responsible for their children’s crimes.

Under the ordinance, which took effect Jan. 1, parents can be cited and ordered to attend parenting-effectiveness classes, pay a fine and restitution.

Ramona M. Olson, 47, and Anita A. Beck, 34, were cited by police on Thursday and ordered to appear before a municipal court judge Feb. 8.

Olson’s 11-year-old son and Beck’s 15-year-old son were accused of shoplifting from a PayLess Drug Store on Wednesday after school.

Police did not cite the fathers of the two boys because the ordinance requires only that “a parent” be cited.

Olson is divorced, police said. Beck was cited because her husband’s construction job would make it difficult for him to appear in court.

Both women said they had tried their best to closely supervise their children.

Olson said she and her 11-yearold son attend weekly meetings with a counselor, and she’s trying to instill discipline by making her son come straight home from school and do his homework and chores.

“I was doing what I was supposed to do,” she said.

Olson said she waited in front of her son’s school Wednesday afternoon, but he slipped out a side door, went to the drug store and was accused of shoplifting two wallets, one for himself and one for a friend, she said.

Olson said she made her son write letters of apology to the store manager and herself.

“He’s not a bad kid,” she said. “He’s bright, and it’s not like him to steal.”

Beck, the mother of the 15-yearold, who is accused of shoplifting a bottle of cologne, said Friday she was surprised by the citation. Her son hasn’t been in trouble, she said, other than shoplifting a candy bar in seventh grade, for which he served community service.

“I thought the law was for families who don’t cooperate with the police or had multiple problems with the law, and a family would have a chance to work it out without the court being involved the first time,” she said. “I’m surprised we’re already involved in it.”

Michael J. Scott, Silverton city manager, said he understands the parents’ position, but the city has to apply the ordinance fairly.

“That’s the hard part of it; it has to be uniformly applied,” he said. “But that’s the beauty of the ordinance; it’s up to the judge to evaluate it on a case-by-case basis. It’s not a meat-ax approach.”