Problems with the community fire

[Lady Kitara]

LMAO I love the exlax idea!!

We've had tiki torches stolen from our campsite. Every year we lose at least one or two. But so far *knocks on wood* that's all we've been looted.

[Sonata]

Please PLEASE don't start leaving out goodies that have been spiked with ex-lax or other creative substances. That's food tampering, and you'll get in just as much trouble if you get caught doing it as the idjit will for stealing the drink/snack/whatever.

Seriously. In the eyes of the law it's illegal.

http://definitions.uslegal.com/b/booby-traps
"If a person sets up such a trap to protect his/her property, he/she will be liable for any injury or death even to an unwanted intruder such as a burglar. It is illegal to set a booby trap on one's own property to prevent intruders."

http://law.onecle.com/texas/penal/22.09.00.html
22.09. TAMPERING WITH CONSUMER PRODUCT.  (a) In this section:           
      (1)  "Consumer Product" means any product offered for sale to or for consumption by the public and includes "food" and "drugs" as those terms are defined in Section 431.002, Health and Safety Code.

      (2)  "Tamper" means to alter or add a foreign substance to a consumer product to make it probable that the consumer product will cause serious bodily injury.

   (b)  A person commits an offense if he knowingly or intentionally tampers with a consumer product knowing that the consumer product will be offered for sale to the public or as a gift to another.

   (c)  A person commits an offense if he knowingly or intentionally threatens to tamper with a consumer product with the intent to cause fear, to affect the sale of the consumer product, or to cause bodily injury to any person.

   (d)  An offense under Subsection (b) is a felony of the second degree unless a person suffers serious bodily injury, in which event it is a felony of the first degree.  An offense under Subsection (c) is a felony of the third degree.

Tampering with food is a criminal act, please don't chance it no matter how justified (and satisfying) it may seem.

Just trying to look out for ya'll, I hate the thieving as much as anyone else, but that's not a good way to combat it.

[Messyn McCleavage]

(b)  A person commits an offense if he knowingly or intentionally tampers with a consumer product knowing that the consumer product will be offered for sale to the public or as a gift to another.

When someone steals, it is not considered a "gift," thus, this law does not pertain to us in this case. This law is referring to a scenario where someone were to ask me for a drink and I handed them the bottle, knowing it was poisoned; at that point I would be guilty. Besides, a laxitive isn't going to kill someone, so a judge is not going to turn that prank into a felony case.

What if I had a medical condition that warranted me taking a laxitive, and mixing it with alcohol was a good way to bypass the taste and also act as a mild laxitive ? A thief is not allowed to steal my medication, no matter what law he may attempt to quote. If a thief could prove the bottle belonged to me because it was in my cooler, I would countersue with theft of personal property and hinderance that prevented me from controlling my medical condition.

[Sonata]

And if you had such a medical condition, that might be a valid defense.

Otherwise, you're treading in very shaky ground. People get brought up on criminal charges for this sort of thing all the time:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034192/posts

http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/81600/student_in_hot_water_over_exlax_brownies/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/09/AR2007050901259.html

http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/4304609/

All I'm saying is that two wrongs don't make a right. Of course stealing is wrong! But so is poisoning. And before anyone points out that exlax is available OTC and isn't technically a poison...a) were you planning on spiking your bottle of whatever with no more than the recommended dose? b) it says on the packaging "Do not consume alcohol while taking Ex Lax"

Please be very careful of the possible consequences to yourself when contemplating an act that could potentially be viewed as assault under the law.

***Please note that I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV***

[Messyn McCleavage]

In other countries, they'd just cut off his hands. We should petition our congressmen. This reminds me of homeowners getting sued because a criminal got hurt while breaking in. Tasers are legal, guess I'll have to carry one at camp? Put an alarm on my cooler to alert the masses...but then, if the thief had a heart attack from the noise shock, would it be a felony murder charge? 

[Yrose]

Sonata, thanks for the information. I was not aware of the law in this instance. We all hate the theives, and yes would like to see one suffering from a box of Ex-lax or worse, but your right about two wrongs don't make a right and staying our own butts out of trouble.

[Sonata]

Sonata, thanks for the information. I was not aware of the law in this instance. We all hate the theives, and yes would like to see one suffering from a box of Ex-lax or worse, but your right about two wrongs don't make a right and staying our own butts out of trouble.

Thanks 

In other countries, they'd just cut off his hands. We should petition our congressmen. This reminds me of homeowners getting sued because a criminal got hurt while breaking in. Tasers are legal, guess I'll have to carry one at camp? Put an alarm on my cooler to alert the masses...but then, if the thief had a heart attack from the noise shock, would it be a felony murder charge? 

Messyn, please don't misunderstand. I'm not by any means defending the right of the thieves to steal. All I'm trying to do is prevent some sort of 'Local Teen Poisoned by Ren Faire Campers' media/legal issue for us. I totally agree that the idea of righteous vengeance for theft and other ugly behaviors is extremely satisfying, but the law takes a dim view of vigilante justice.

[Zaubon]

On the other hand it is legal to use deadly force in Texas to defend your property from a thief in the night.   (No happy smilies on this one.)

[Muffin]

I knew I liked Texas!! 

[MacLaren]

I love the Castle Doctrine! Truly a fair minded law. Mess with my stuff and get dead for it! I wish I'd caught the foul being that lifted my radar detector last season! "On like Donkey Kong" wouldn't have even come close to the description!!

[Lord Dragonspyre]

On the other hand it is legal to use deadly force in Texas to defend your property from a thief in the night.   (No happy smilies on this one.)

I think it also applies during the daytime and includes killing an attempted carjacker...

[MacLaren]

If property or self are in imminent danger, it is legal to use whatever force is necessary to end such danger. This includes deadly force when(here comes the gray area) all other attempts to end threat are exhausted.

That's my understanding of it at least, told to me by a rather distasteful worm of a lawyer. Wrong I could be....maybe I'll pull it up and actually read the law as written....

[KeeperoftheBar]

That's my understanding of it at least, told to me by a rather distasteful worm of a lawyer.

Do you mean there is some other kind of lawyer?  (Ooh that was harsh of me but I do not apologize).

[MacLaren]

No apology needed. I've parted ways with 'em. I must say being in the same room with him was unpleasant. Friend of a friend, you know? He did seem to quite a bit about law, but the personality was...grating, to say the least.

[Messyn McCleavage]

In other countries, they'd just cut off his hands. We should petition our congressmen. This reminds me of homeowners getting sued because a criminal got hurt while breaking in. Tasers are legal, guess I'll have to carry one at camp? Put an alarm on my cooler to alert the masses...but then, if the thief had a heart attack from the noise shock, would it be a felony murder charge? 

Messyn, please don't misunderstand. I'm not by any means defending the right of the thieves to steal. All I'm trying to do is prevent some sort of 'Local Teen Poisoned by Ren Faire Campers' media/legal issue for us. I totally agree that the idea of righteous vengeance for theft and other ugly behaviors is extremely satisfying, but the law takes a dim view of vigilante justice.
[/quote]

I understand that you are only trying to advise, and I was not implying that we should become vigilantes, I merely stated how other countries handle the situation and hence do not have the problem that we do.

I doubt the media would get involved in something as trivial as Ex-Lax after what happened this year at playtrons camp: A 13-yr-old girl is still(?) missing and was last seen at drum jam, a young woman miscarried and is in jail for murder... Why is SHE in jail and not her "friend" who poisoned her loki?  The BATF busted some guy(s) - was that on the news?  I wish they WOULD report it, so thieves would think twice and consider themselves lucky that's ALL that happened to them, with all the weapons we have around.

Mayhaps if saline were used, it would at least taste bad? If they drank it anyway, they would simply have a clean colon. I've had to drink it before having a partial colonoscopy. Colon cleansing IS the newest health fad, afterall.