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10 weird criminal sentences

Check out these 10 court cases where judges have done more than sentence the guilty to a fine or jail time.

Hair for hair

  • By Laura Edwins Contributor

In May 2012, Colorado juvenile Judge Scott Johansen offered the mother of a young defendant a way to reduce her daughter's sentence. Her 13-year-old daughter, Kaytlen Lopan, and her friend had befriended a 3-year-old at a McDonald's and then cut little girl's hair off with a pair of scissors.

At a hearing addressing the assault of the 3-year-old, as well as another case involving bullying and threatening phone calls Kaytlen had made to another teen, Judge Johansen sentenced Kaytlen to 30 days in detention and 276 hours of community service. But then he offered Kaytlen's mother, Valerie Bruno, a deal. If she used a pair of scissors to cut her teenage daughter's ponytail off immediately in the courtroom, he would reduce her sentence.

Bruno cut off her daughter's ponytail, but later regretted it, filing a formal complaint against Johansen.

Johansen also ordered Kaytlen's friend (an 11-year-old) to have her hair cut as short as his. But she was allowed to go to a salon to have it done.

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Mark Sappenfield
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