Bridgewater Theft By Father And Son Prosecuted Despite Victim’s Forgiveness

Michael Varano, 52, of Bridgewater (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) and his son are now facing criminal charges. It was a Massachusetts theft.

The victim? A local church.

According to the Commonwealth, the Defendant and his 11-year-old son are accused of a Brockton burglary at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and stealing food from its kitchen last Friday night. In true Christian spirit, the Reverend Joseph Roeke, representing the church seeks compassion in handling the crime.

“It’s a very sad situation,” Raeke said in a phone interview. “If he had let me know he was in such dire need of food, we would have given him some food.”

Police called Raeke to identify the stolen food, which, he said, included juice boxes, cookies, and other snack foods allegedly stolen from “The Enterprise”, the church’s kitchen, located in Brockton. The food had been meant for the celebration of a new priest’s first Mass, Raeke said.

“I think we need to be praying for people who feel so desperate,” Raeke said.

Attorney Sam’s Take On Massachusetts Breaking & Entering And Theft Crimes

It is not every day that the complainant, or victim, of such a crime is so forgiving. It is frankly refreshing, especially in a matter such as this, where the motive seems to be the need to feed one’s child and one’s self.

And then there is the Commonwealth.

You see, as I have mentioned many times before, prosecutors prosecute. What the Defendant did was a crime. A felony, in fact. So, while the complainant might be willing to drop the whole matter, is not up to said complainant. It is the prosecutors’ case. And, well, they do what they do.

On the other hand, it might interest you to know that this is not the first such family outing in which the Defendant has engaged.

You may recognize the Defendant’s name. Back in March, he received similar press. At the time, he was accused of several break-ins, one accompanied by his 4-year-old daughter. At the time, his explanation was that swiping jewelry and cash from homes was so easy, it was addictive.

“It’s stupid. I got three kids; I was hurting for money. I only get paid once a month. It’s a stupid thing I did,” explained the Defendant.

Well, whether the motivation is hunger, theft addiction or simply an odd view of family unity, the Commonwealth prosecuted him then…and, apparently, it will again. Further, the Defendant’s troubles are likely to occur both inside and outside of the criminal justice system. Given the family outings in which the Defendant engages, I would expect that he will soon be hearing from the Department of Children and Families (Massachusetts’ own “DCF”) as his talents as a dad somewhat in question.

Father and son are likely to need very gifted criminal defense attorneys.

If you would like to discuss a criminal matter with me, please feel free to call me at 617-492-3000 to arrange a free initial consultation..

To view the articles upon which this blog is based, please go to http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/05/man_11-year-old.html and http://www.enterprisenews.com/topstories/x945639919/Bridgewater-man-took-daughter-on-heist#axzz1FjTDxh3P

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