A friend of mine was involved in an incident with a stolen vehicle it was his friends brothers van, they took it and it broke down. After trying and failing to fix it they left it behind the hospital where the police found it the next day. When I spoke to the cops, I told them what had happened and signed a statment of the story. I now belive that that is the only evidence they have against him. I don't want to be responsible for him going to jail, I feel absolutely horrible.. is there anything that I can do? please help me.
2007-09-23 14:22:42 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
You may indeed feel horrible. This is a sign that you are a good friend. However, take heart in the fact that you acted honorably and correctly given the situation. No one likes to see something bad happen to a friend, but your friend brought this on himself by stealing the van in the first place. He has no one but himself to blame.
You say that because he was your friend, you feel bad about doing this. But how about your friend's friend? The friend whose brother's van he stole? Do you suppose he feels bad for his brother? Almost certainly, he does. Now, do you suppose your friend feels bad for him too? Or does he only feel bad for himself now that the law has caught up with him?
If you've talked to your friend since, he may have apologized to you and even to the victim, but empty apologies are a common trait among people who are caught in the wrong. I'm not saying it's okay for you to give up on trusting in others, but this friend was wrong and needs to earn trust again, not just from you but from everyone he knows. A simple "I'm sorry" or "but I'm your friend" is not enough. The most you owe him is allowing him the chance to earn that trust back, but this is a process that could and should take months, if not years, and may include him serving some jail time.
Also, how would you feel if, hypothetically, this so-called friend had stolen a vehicle which belonged to a close relative of yours? Because clearly, if the timing and situation had been right for him, he would have. It doesn't seem like something your friend would do to you, does it? But he did do it to a person who was his friend. That friend could have just as easily been you.
Now his friend's brother has to take time out of his life to deal with the police investigation, to deal with reclaiming his van, to deal with fixing his van, and most likely his insurance rates will go up, too. What a rotten thing for someone to do a friend.
Besides all this, withholding information and evidence from the police is usually a criminal offense in and of itself. If you hadn't told them what you'd known, and they could have proven that you DID know, it's possible you could have been facing charges of your own. (Assuming they came to you and you didn't go to them, they probably already knew.)
If this goes to court (it will) and you are called to testify (you probably will be), this is still a possibility. Once you're under oath, lying about what you know is called perjury, and if you're caught doing that, the penalties are worse still.
For your own sake, do NOT attempt to change your story, especially under oath in court, in order to protect this friend. Not unless you want to be roomies.
2007-09-23 15:08:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow, what a lot of wrong answers. Since you don't say how you know all this, I don't see how anyone can say you're telling the truth. If you saw all this happen because you were there the whole time, you are an accomplice, and ratted out your "friend" to get some kind of deal for yourself.
If you were told this by someone else, it is hearsay, inadmissible, and you should have simply said, I don't know. In any event, you will only be responsible for your friend going to jail if your statement is confirmed by actual witnesses or participants.
2007-09-23 21:41:28 · answer #2 · answered by thylawyer 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No you aren't responsible for your friend going to jail, he is. His dishonesty and irresponsibility for committing the crime, are what got him into this. He knew this is a felony but than yet he chose to do it any way, knowing what the repercussions would be and he still chose to take part in it. They would have found out any way with or without you, fingerprints speak words and considering his personality I'm sure this is not the first crime he committed I could guarantee he's in the system.
2007-09-23 21:45:29 · answer #3 · answered by beachdiva954 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If what you told the police was the truth, you are not responsible for him going to jail-he himself is responsible for doing something that put him in jail.You did the right thing, which is not always easy.
2007-09-23 21:26:45 · answer #4 · answered by Sophiesmama 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You shouldn't feel bad at all. You didn't do anything but tell the truth. It was his decision to take a vehicle he didn't own and didn't have permission to drive. He needs to be held accountable for that decision.
2007-09-23 21:26:04 · answer #5 · answered by Amy S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you told the truth your quote friend deserves what happens to him. If this is standard behavior in your social circle, you need to find a new set of friends.
2007-09-23 21:26:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
You did the right thing. The only person who is responsible if your friend is arrested is your friend. We each make choices, and nobody else is responsible for those choices.
2007-09-23 21:28:19 · answer #7 · answered by browneyedgirl623 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well your friend should haven't stolen the vehicle. you shouldn't be friends with this person. and what did you think would happen when you gave a statement?
2007-09-23 21:27:07 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
His actions will be why he goes to jail. If you had not told and they found out later (and they would have) you would have been in trouble also.
2007-09-23 21:28:25 · answer #9 · answered by kim h 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The truth shall set you free.
2007-09-23 21:29:29 · answer #10 · answered by Glinda W 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋