ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 18, 1993                   TAG: 9308180101
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: MCLEAN                                LENGTH: Short

MEMENTOS OF U.S.: STOLEN TAGS

Police officers hear all kinds of excuses in their line of work, but the one given by a 16-year-old with 15 stolen license plates was a first: collecting souvenirs.

According to police, the youth, who is visiting from France as part of a student exchange program, and a 15-year-old McLean friend pried the out-of-state license plates off parked cars about 11 p.m. Friday.

When the mother of the 15-year-old realized what her son and his friend had done, she took the two to the McLean police station, according to police. Under questioning, the officer uncovered the motive: American license plates are hot in France.

After returning the license plates, the officer determined that none of the larceny victims wanted to prosecute. But, to teach them a lesson, "the officer released the youths after a stern oral counseling," police said. - The Washington Post 


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