Brickbat: Swing, Swing

Two sisters, ages 10 and 12, ended up in court after a playground swing broke while they were playing at Veterans Memorial Park in Springdale, Pennsylvania. The girls, along with several other children, twisted the swing’s chains so it would spin them around, and the swing eventually broke. The girls’ mother, Katie Huss, said five or six other children were involved, but police focused on her daughters and later charged them with criminal mischief. The borough divided the repair cost among five children, at roughly $59 each. A judge ultimately found that the girls had caused the damage but ruled that it was an accident, not an intentional act, and found them not guilty. Huss said her concern was less about the money than about how the borough and police handled the situation, including not showing her the surveillance video or other evidence before the court hearing.