Father Pleads With Judge To Keep Teen Son Jailed
MIAMI – (CBSMiami.com) – An 18-year-old may have been moments away from being released from jail after appearing before a bond court judge on charges of grand theft and residential burglary, but then his father stepped in.
As the judge considered issuing house arrest or a pre-trial detention service, Adam Edri's father addressed the court Friday afternoon telling the judge that his son needs to be held accountable for his actions.
Those actions, according to police, involved a residential burglary at 6:30 a.m. Thursday on the 13600 block of Southwest 83rd Avenue. Police say Edri and Jorge Perez, 18, had stolen $50,000 worth of jewelry from that residence. After the break-in, Perez allegedly drove Edri to a nearby pawn shop where he received $3,000 for the stolen goods.
They could have gotten away with it. But police say the pair's greed led to their arrest. Police say they returned to the same house "to return the empty jewelry box and steal more jewelry," according to the arrest report. Instead, the two men were confronted by the homeowner and fled.
Police caught up with Edri at his home and he later provided police a written statement implicating himself in the crimes.
In court, his father disclosed that his son has been struggling with a drug addiction
"I would rather him be here," his father told the judge. "He has a huge mouth, disrespect, doesn't want to learn, doesn't want to study, doesn't want to do homework, doesn't want to work. Disrespect his mother. She's afraid of him. She left the house."
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Dennis Murphy said he understood and added, "Part of that 'Y Generation' we hear about, 'Why should I work?' 'Why should I clean up my room?'
The father agreed.
"Exactly. And I want to do it for him. I'm not a bad father," he said.
Murphy told Edri that "it sounds like your parents are ready to let you sit and learn a little bit."
Edri who wore a T-shirt that read 'I'm That Dude' said, "That's why I'm 18 and I'm moving to Israel because my parents don't know what is best for me."
Murphy sighed and said, "It's your choice, it's your life. We're just trying to help you."
Edri will likely remain in jail until he can post a $20,000 bond.
