Community Service

Blocking the road was a County Sheriff's patrol car, outside of which stood a tall deputy with one hand on a bullhorn and the other on the grip of his still holstered 9mm.

"Get out of the vehicle and keep your hands in sight," he commanded, and continued "up against the side of the truck, feet apart, arms spread!"

The boys, having no appearent alternative, complied with the order and were promptly frisked, handcuffed together, and placed in the barricaded back seat of the cruiser.

The deputy made a quiick search of the truck and returned with some unopened cans of beer and a .22 revolver, which he sat on the dashboard beside the small video monitor used for viewing drunk driver tapes. Sitting in the drivers seat, the deputy checked the I.D. of the three kids. The oldest was sixteen, and his brothers were fifteen and fourteen. The police radioo issued an intermittent stream of static that served as background music for the showing of the videotape, which showed a beer can being ejected from the cab of the truck, followed by the emergence and discharge of the pistol at a road sign.

"We've had a lot of vandalism around here lately," the officer noted, "and I've been assigned the job of ending it."

"We have here a driving while intoxicated, three counts of minor in possession, one concealed weopons charge, vandalism, seatbelt violations, and not to mention shooting from a moving vehicle. I'm also willing to bet that we'll find drugs in the truck when we tow it in. This will, of course, result in the forfeiture and sale of the truck, which is registered to someone who must be your daddy. He sure is going to be proud of you tonight."

"What drugs?" The odest boy asked, "We don't use stuff like that."

"I did't say that you used drugs, only that we would find some in the truck. Anyway it falls you just landed a visit to the county jail. Your brothers will be released to their parents, but you'll spend the next two nights behind bars, and maybe the next year, as there are mandatory sentences for felonies, and sixteen makes you an adult in this state. Even if you skate on the other charges you will still lose your driver's licence for three years on the DUII because you're under twenty-one. You're brothers won't even qualify for licences untill they're eighteen because of the MIP conviction."

The deputy then called dispatch for a tow truck and notified his lieutenant of the impending arrival of one adult and two juviniles.

The younger boys were in tears by this time, feeling the effects of a teenage hangover on top of the humiliation of being caught. Their older brother was't feeling to hot either, as he had heard about what went on in jails between older men and guy's like him, and he wanted not part of that action. He also knew that even if he didn't get convicted or lose the truck that his dad would likely kill him for the dishonor cast upon the family.

As the cop filled out his paperwork the radio came to life.

"Forty-two Mary, contact the lieutenant on channel two one."

"Lieutenant, this is fourty-two Mary."

" Forty-two Mary is authorized to offer suspects community service. We have crowding problems at the facility."

"Forty-two Mary clear." The officer answered and placed the microphone back in it's clip.

"You kids must live right." He exclaimed. " You just got a get out of jail free card." He then went on to explain how community service worked. If they plead guilty to the alchol and vandilism charges they could do community service and not go to jail or lose their driver's licences. No convictions would show on their records, and if they stayed out of trouble for three years all records would be expunged, as if nothing had ever happened. If they got into trouble befor then the original punishment would be added to that of the new infraction.

"What would we have to do for community service?" One boy asked.

"It doesn't work that way. You agree to accept it, or refuse it. You all must agree together. Someone then decides what your service will be. It is almost always preferable to the original sentence, and is a hell of a lot better deal than any of you deserve."

Without argument or discussion the boys immediatly agreed to accept, and were given standard forms to sign. The officer then led the oldest boy back to his truck and cuffed one hand to the steering wheel, ordering him to follow closely behind the cruiser.

With the two youngsters sill cuffed together in the back seat they drove towards town and a vacant warehouse, where the officer escorted them to an enclosed corner of the building that was once used for a secure tool storage area. It had strong welded wire walls and ceiling, and a double locked tamper proof door. The oldest boy was escorted to one corner of the room and was cuffed to a stanchion by one hand, with a loose handcuff adorning his other wrist. The other two each wore a cuff on one wrist, but were left free to roam their temporary prison.

The deputy went back to his car and sat in it for a while, before returning with three documents.

"It has been determined that this will be your community service." He said, handing each detainee a paper. "Please read along with me. George Ray Taylor," he told the oldest,"You have pleaded guilty to willful destruction of public property. Your service is to be made an example of, so that others may consider what happened to you and not repeat your crime. You have been found unqualified to possess the credentials of manhood, and not of acceptable moral standards to be fit for reproduction, therefore, you are to submit to removal of your testicles at six am tomorrow morning."

As the gravity of this statement was sinking in, he turned to the younger boys.

"You were influenced by your older brother, and under his supervision, and will therefore be spared his service. Your service will be to bear witness to his castration, to help him prepare for it, and to assist him afterwards in obtaining medical care.

All of the boys, especially the oldest, were now in a state of near shock, and all started to protest.

"It's a done deal boys," was the officers reply," you called the tune, now you pay the piper."

He then placed a container of sterile water and a package that contained some neccessary itemsin the cage and gave the boys an instruction pamphlet, after which he got in his car and left. The pamphlet told them how to prepare their brother for his punishment. They were to wash his crotch and shave off all hair within two inches of his scrotum. One hour before the punishment time they were to tightly stretch the provided rubber touniquet around the scrotum and apply disinfectant. They were then to handcuff themselves in the opposite corner of the cell, out of reach of their brother. These preparations would minimize pain, bleeding, and risk of infection. The officer would return at the appointed time and do the cutting. They would then be released to seek medical attention. If the victim was not prepped he would proced with the cutting anyway. If the witnesses were not properly restrained in their corner, or if they resisted, they would share their brother's punishment, without preparation. It was a long night for the three boys.

At ten o'clock the next morning the "officer" was almost a thousand miles away. The light bar, peel off door signs, and rear seat barricade were in the trunk of the "cruiser" and he wore civilian clothing. The "police radio" was nothing more than a non-functional CB; a pre-recorded tape, played in the car's stereo and cued by the microphone had provided the official sounding communications. He really didn't care what happened to the boys. He wasn't a sadist or pervert, just a man with a job. He knew that the oldest kid would be in agony by now and that his nuts, with their blood supply cut off, would be history if the yougsters had "prepared" him properly. He would place an anonymous phone call that evening to ensure their release.

The incident wouldn't make the papers, but the details would spread like wildfire aroung the area's schools and teen hangouts. All vandalism would cease for several years even if the kids had been smart enough to find the handcuff and gate keys that were taped to the top shelf in their cage and use them to free themselves. Of the thirty vandald he had apprehended, only four had escaped unscathed. His actions were getting results.

By noon, the vigilante was in a large city, looking at a building that was disfigured by misspelled profanity applied from a spray can. So many vandals, so little time he thought as he set up his surveillance camera.