3 pregnant teens accused in Utah attack – Crime & Punishment – MSNBC.com
The home, which is a place for struggling pregnant teens, is in Utah County, about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City. Pregnant teens are typically sent there by parents to get away from problems with drugs or boyfriends, and they attend class and learn about prenatal care, childbirth and adoption while staying at the home, according to police.
This kind of story comes up over and over in Utah. Some outfit sets up a group home, or a camp, or a wilderness experience for various kinds of young people whose values differ greatly from those of their parents (for good or ill). Previously, it was unruly teen boys; there was a scandal a while back concerning a Utah-based group that runs “boot camps” in several states and Jamaica. Typically, the most rebellious kids either
get hurt, or escape and have to be hunted down, after which allegations of abuse ensue.
This time, it’s a group of Pregnant Teens Gone Wild! First of all, as a commenter at the SL Trib site said, it’s such a 1950’s, “home for unwed mothers” kind of response to teen pregnancy, but that’s Utah for you: at least 3-4 decades behind the rest of the country as far as social attitudes, and fading fast. I just don’t get why it is that people use the state as a dumping ground for their troublesome teens, though. Maybe it’s an easy threat: “If you don’t shape up, you’re going to Utah.”
Apparently, the girls weren’t happy with conditions at the group home. They tied up a counselor, after hitting her over the head with a frying pan. Then they took off with some of her stuff, including a cell phone and a video camera.
It’s a song in the making. Watch for the video to show up on YouTube. For now, suggested lyrics:
Driving through the desert in a mini-van,
whacked her in the head with a frying pan.
Just trying to get home to my baby with my baby,
Just trying to get home.
U2: Vertigo: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb [3:16]