Due process?
Des Moines police on March 28 confiscated a legally purchased AK-47 assault rifle from the home of Patrick Younk, 18.
Police began investigating Younk after they received a complaint about threats made against Roosevelt High School students.
Sgt. Todd Dykstra said Younk did not take the weapon to school or threaten anyone. The gun was shown to Younk’s friends at a tennis court in the 4600 block of Observatory Road on March 5. Younk was not arrested or charged with a crime, police said.
Dykstra said police confiscated the gun because “we just didn’t want to take any chances.”
Dykstra said the case had been turned over to the Polk County attorney’s office for review because the gun was transported in Younk’s car.
First of all, it’s not an assault rifle but a gun that looks like one. Secondly, did the kid actually commit a crime? Now, if transporting the gun in a car is illegal in Des Moines, charge him for that. However, it does not appear he has violated the law.
If he threatened people, that should be investigated, of course. But it should also be subject to due process of law.
