Boys will be boys. Pranks are a part of most teenagers’ adolescence. If done legally, these pranks can be good-hearted fun that will provide memories for the rest of their lives. The operative word here is “legally.” Theft is never proper.

Back when I was in high school it was customary for members of the junior class to try and steal the hallowed bench that sat in front of the senior rec room. If the seniors couldn’t find it in a week, the seniors threw a pizza party for the juniors.

The key here was the bench could not be taken off school grounds. While technically this was stealing, it was condoned by the administration and was all good fun.

When Does a Prank Become a Crime?

This is the million-dollar question. Take the case coming out of Mississippi last week where four teenagers were charged with the theft of a statue outside a local high school. Jordan Thrash, 19, Billy "Dillon" Byrd, 18, and Christian Mikeal Lewis, 17,are each charged with grand larceny. Steven Ewing, 18, is charged with grand larceny - accessory after the fact.

The “theft” was a prank on stealing the Panther statue of a rival. The bronze statue, one of three at the school's football stadium, was taken May 22. It had rested atop a brick pedestal and was almost 7 feet long and nearly 3 feet high. The statue was recovered a week after it was stolen - half submerged in water in a Jones County culvert. The panther's paw was sawed off and there were saw marks around the panther's neck.

The statue is estimated to cost more than $30,000 and was donated by Forrest County Supervisor Lynn Cartlidge.

Enough is Enough

There have been at least four vandalisms at the high school or athletic complexes since June 2010.

In May, the sod on the baseball field was salted and damaged. In the first incident, "Petal Sucks" and other graffiti was spray-painted on the football field's artificial turf last June - before the new stadium had ever been used.

In August, red spray paint was used to alter the "Home of the Panthers" sign on the stadium to "Home of the Panties."

In September, vandals broke into a vending machine in the main high school's building, overturned desks and chairs and smeared feces on walls. The damage was estimated at $5,847. At a minimum these students should probably take a Mississippi Theft Class or an Online Theft Class.