St. Joseph’s ‘Bound For Freedom’ Gift Shop Looking For Alleged Recent Thieves

Update: The alleged girls in question have been contacted and the company is working with their parents to rectify the situation. For their safety and privacy, the video has been removed.

A lot of the times you'll take a look at comment sections when it comes to crime stories and you get the feeling that people forget that nobody is perfect, and a crime doesn't really give insight into a person's whole life. People make mistakes, and for those who are quick to light the flame to burn them at the stake, there are those that, although victims of crimes themselves, are wanting to take it into their own hands to attempt to make a real change. That's what Bound For Freedom, a gift shop in St. Joseph is hoping to accomplish by tracking down their latest burglar.

After recent footage showed what they believe to be more people stealing from their store, they're starting to see a pattern, and instead of pressing charges and getting them thrown in jail, they want to try a different approach:

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It is with heavy hearts that we post this, but for the fourth time this summer we believe we have pretty undeniable proof of shoplifting from our small locally owned venue. Not planning to press charges, but if you do know these girls we would love to have a conversation about what we do and how acts like this not only hurt us, but also those we are trying to help globally. We would love to chat about the small life choices that can drastically change someone’s life when it comes to a criminal record.

They go on to clarify that the goal is to help them change their decision making and not embarrass them:

Our goal is not to shame or embarrass these girls but rather to prevent them or other like them from going down a path that only gets worse from here, and can lead to worse choices and life altering mistakes. We all have made bad choices and bad mistakes but now is our chance to share our failures with those younger than us so that our ceiling becomes the floor for the next generation to stand on.

I firmly believe THIS is what we need to make a real connection. There's no excuse for stealing from a business, but let's hope that they can find them, talk to them and maybe be a positive influence to change and help guide them away from their troubled path.