I’m writing in response to the Nov. 14 Sun Journal front-page article on the Quinn family. What happened is truly a tragedy. However, the police are no more to blame than Mr. and Mrs. Quinn.

Ryan was clearly a troubled boy who needed much more discipline than he was getting. Tripping a classmate is “flirting”? Blowing out grandma’s transmission earns him chores? And what became of his first night away from home?

If Ryan had been taught that there are serious consequences for serious wrongs, he might have been too scared to steal a car. The very thought that the Quinn’s are talking about suing the Lewiston Police Department shows that they are not taking responsibility for failing to raise a responsible, law-abiding child.

Karen Burns, Lisbon