Why were the charges against Brandon Pak dropped? Can the reporter find that out?

Burn the witch! Er, I mean, I was hoping for a harsher sentence.

First of all, I really hope that Brett Dispoto gets some serious psychological counseling! Did he not understand that he could burn the place down?

Secondly, why are the details so scant here? Why were the charges dropped against Brandon Pak? What happened to the other kids who were in that house and should not have been? I certainly hope that they are contributing to a fund that helps the homeowners they victimized re-establish their home life! It would be great if they started by returning the jewelry they took. It is my understanding that a lot of the stolen pieces are family heirlooms, completely irreplaceable! So kids, just put the stuff in a bag and drop it off at what is left of her home!

Lastly, I really hope the congregation at the Rock doesn't wind up helping Mr. Gomes pay his restitution! Yes, folks Mr. Gomes is a preacher's kid!

Do these kids come from rich families? Will the victim try to sue them for damages in civil court. The value of their home is certainly much higher than the criminal fines.

It's not enough.. a month??? The party went on for 10 days.. and ultimately took the home, belongings, sense of security. A month?

BTW.. great neighborhood watch going on there.. my neighbors would have called the Police the first night.. they certainly would not have watched it go on for 10 days and then wondered why the fire trucks were there.

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?

@parent:

Gilbert Gomes was an adult at the time of the incident. His parents are not liable from a financial or legal standpoint.

Gilbert Gomes was responsible for his own actions. If he had committed his crimes at age 17, yes, his parents would be partially responsible, but that is not the case for this particular young man.

@Neighbor of Victim:

You are confusing legal obligations and moral/emotional involvement.

The parents of young Gilbert have no specific legal obligation to provide any sort of restitution to young Gilbert's victims. The fact that they apparently are ministers makes them prime targets as people who might be morally culpable for his shortcomings, but again, they cannot be forced by the judicial system to cough up a penny.

They will do it on their own if they feel community pressure requires them provide restitution, but not because of any sort of legal requirement. They have a public presence because they are pastors/community leaders.

Get that straight in your head.

Let's put this in a different perspective.

Ted Bundy and Charlie Manson's parents weren't responsible for their sons' bad behavior. The fact that young Gilbert is just 18 isn't an issue with the courts. Gilbert Gomes is an adult, his parents aren't responsible for any of his actions since he turned 18.

@Neighbor of Victim:

I understand your frustration, but you understand NOTHING about adult responsibility. Let's say you mow down some pedestrian tomorrow in a crosswalk. Should your parents be liable for raising some stupid kid? NO, YOU ARE AN ADULT, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

We have gone over this topic countless times in posts about young criminals. IF THEY ARE OVER 18, THEY ARE ADULTS, JUST LIKE ANY 70 YEAR OLD.

A month and $30,000 restitution (will that ever be paid?) seems a bit light. It is a real shame that the crime occurred, the real damage being the feelings of the homeowners who were betrayed in their trust.

All of the partygoers need at the minimum some counseling; is any of that happening?

It will be interesting to see, if we will ever even know, what Gilbert Gomes makes of his life. Something we will probably never know... I do not envy his parents situation.

The Rock church and the family of this young man are terribly upset by all of this. No I do not belong to the congregation nor am I affiliated with their religious organization. I live all the way across the country. Mindy and Gil Gomes are awesome humans- their struggling 18 year old made some bad decisions. It's not JUST 30 days he has to go away for 13 months after that! Ultimately Taylor didn't drag all of those kids into that house, he should've never been involved, but they also made that choice. 14 months away from your family and 30k in restitution is pretty significant I would say. What happened to compassion and hoping this young man can get help and become a focused contributing member of society?

His parents probably did their best, but the forbidden fruit is sometimes too strong a temptation. Whether or not this is his first offense, he is really crying out for some attention. He is still developing until about age 25 n still some people really never grow a conscious. Let's pray for some remorse from these kids, for the sake of the victims n the future safety of all who know them. It would be a good thing for all of the offenders to get some character building help n consequences to scare them straight. The fear of God needs to be instilled but the heart has to be willing. So sad that they made such a unwise choice and if they don't comply with court orders, they will get the justice due them. May the Holy Spirit work in their hearts n minds to repent n change from their wicked ways! Amen

@Jay Park: I do understand the legal obligations of his parents and adult responsibility! I completely understand them. Do you understand enabling, busy parents? I'm not saying his parents should be forced to kick in for his debt but I'm betting they will!

@Mrs. Hamilton: Something tells me you wouldn't be feeling so much compassion if he broke into your home, invited his friends in and they destroyed everything you owned!!

You're right, little Gilbert didn't drag the other kids to the house. Does this mean we're raising kids to be sheep now? Don't kids know the difference between right and wrong anymore? Aren't parents teaching this? I'm sorry but I believe that every kid who was in that house that night should be contributing financially to the recovery of the home they trashed and destroyed!

This "bad decision" as you call it put lives at risk --- the homes are close to one another on the street where this house is located and that fire could have spread to other homes!

I hope this kid makes something positive of his life. It will be a challenge though because this story will be out on the Internet forever. Potential employers, partners, whatever will only have to Google his name and find it. Parents of teenagers should use this situation as a teaching moment and educate their kids on the implications of turning 18!

See Jay Park, I get it!!

Thank you for the clarification. Your understanding certainly wasn't obvious in your earlier post.

Have a peaceful rest of your weekend.

@Jay Park: It can be a challenge to process information when you're angry.

NOTE: I did not say in any post that little Gilbert's parents should be forced to pay or were legally responsible. I was betting that they would enable him though.

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For the comments who blame the neighbours are not reporting the 10 day party, if any of us in the neighbourhood would hear or notice anything we would have. So please not be too judgemental.

Think how you would feel if some arrogant kid did this to your house, the sentence is no where near enough and the fine of $30,000 is probably off by a factor of 5.

I agree with the comments above that 30 days seems light for an "adult" facing charges like these. If I were the homeowner or a neighbor, I might be pretty upset by that. I hope that this is just a situation where an immature kid made a really, really bad series of decisions and that he's not more fundamentally flawed (and likely to be a repeat offender). I also hope he uses the 30 days inside to reflect on those choices, and on the path ahead and that the 30 days serves as "rehabilitation" in that respect. Otherwise, he certainly got off pretty easy...