Robert Caldwell
In a refreshing change, nowhere in the article on the abduction of a south Kansas City man does Kansas City Star reporter Matt Campbell refer to the accused, De’zahn James Carey, as a “teen.”
He’s referred to only as a “suspect” or one of “two men.”
This is particularly noteworthy since Carey is only 17, young enough to be considered a juvenile in Federal Court.
If violence were the gauge, Carey deserves his adult status.
He and his buddy, Robert Caldwell, are accused of confronting the 67 year-old victim in the 12200 block of Prospect Avenue, pistol-whipping him, forcing him to withdraw money from his ATMs, driving him across the state of Missouri, and fleeing to Kentucky.
If intelligence were the gauge, Carey and Caldwell seem like good candidates for the Darwin awards.
They failed to get money from the ATMs. Caldwell’s aunt–and Carey’s cousin–ratted out the lads after seeing a surveillance video. They needlessly crossed state lines bringing the Feds into play. And the victim escaped before they got there.
Let’s see if the semantic de-teenization at the Star is a trend or an anomaly.
The smart money says “anomaly.”
Rich Steele is a citizen journalist and head of the NSAAS (Non-Smokers Against Anti-Smoking).
