Frat Brothers Steal, Fry Jumbo Goldfish

[emad]

<snip>
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) - Two former fraternity brothers Friday were sentenced to community service - but escaped jail - for stealing and eating a jumbo goldfish at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The men were drunk when they snatched the 18-inch koi fish, which was referred to as both Midas and Goldie, that lived in a university-owned pond. The men fried the fish and fed it to fraternity pledges last year.

Casey Loop, 23, and Matthew Cox, 22, last month pleaded no contest of misdemeanor grand theft and vandalism.

On Friday, a judge sentenced Loop to 300 hours of community service. Cox, who apologized for the prank immediately after the incident, was sentenced to 200 hours. They also received a combined five years probation. They could have received up to two years in jail.
<snip>
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3988381,00.html

[benburch]

1. GRAND theft?

What the heck is a Koi worth?

[emad]

2. Koi are about £250+ each in the UK....

...

[DCDemo]

3. Um...I had one that was worth >$1300

And have seen some in the 10's of thousands.

This is not funny to us Koi lovers!!!

[emad]

6. I had a pair in the garden pond once but they got too big

so we put them into the boating lake in Regent's Park where they still outwit the local herons every day in ritual hide & seek game that ends up with the herons looking pretty pissed off....

[seemslikeadream]

15. People around where I live

put Kio into shallow ponds and they are always getting eaten by herons!



This artist work is beautiful

[John_H]

31. Hey, it was the ingredient on Iron Chef last week.

Isn't Koi the Japanese word for Carp?

[tinanator]

14. sometimes thousands of dollars

And if I remember right, these werent ordinary Koi.

[renegade000]

20. imported ones and large ones

can cost hundreds of dollars

[PfcHammer]

4. koi are a spectacular fish. sh*theads !

[Union Thug]

5. Considering that they..

...are frat boys, this doesn't suprise me. Morons...

[seemslikeadream]

7. I have over 150 Koi

There's what a couple look like, they are my babies and might just live longer than I do.

[PfcHammer]

8. fine looking fish, sld

[seemslikeadream]

11. I have to admit these pictures are not of mine

I don't have any to show right now but I just wanted show people that they are beautiful beings and I love them dearly. This weekend we're preparing the ponds to put them back outside. We bring them all in for the winter. They are in my basement pond right now. They are not all this big but some are a least 2ft. long.

[emad]

10. Mine are like your golden one....

but have a more gormless, laid back expression....

[seemslikeadream]

12. The gold one I have is my favorite

because I bought him when he was only 4 inches long now he is over 2ft. He just shines in the sun




This is what it's like when they're beig feed

[LizW]

25. Awesome pics!

They're very beautiful, sld.

[psychopomp]

9. Koi are basically carp with pearls

I can't imagine eating one...yuck!

[tinanator]

13. this is what happens when the Greeks invade paradise

Those motherfucking discriminators sued to be included on one of the most progressive campuses in the country. Those two are absolutely lucky Im not around anymore. They ARE NOT "jumbo goldfish" you pathetic excuse for a journalist. MTV WAS INVOLVED? They should be reviled and prosecuted for that sort of collaboration! OUTRAGEOUS!!!

[Blasphemer]

30. MTV...

This fraternity was on the MTV show "Fraternity Life". The story of the stolen fish got a lot of play because they were on MTV. When it first came out, they weren't going to pursue any charges at all but lots of viewers were outraged when they found out.

Edit: The incident wasn't aired but apparently MTV actually provided the footage of what happened to the court. I didn't realize they had it all on tape. Idiots!

[Enraged_Ape]

16. UCSC didn't have fraternities when I went there

The campus fought very hard against the Greek system because they believed it promoted a lot of nonscholastic, destructive behavior, while basically encouraging people to be the lowest and cruelest that they can be.

And apparently they were right.

[TankLV]

17. "encouraging people to be the lowest and cruelest that they can be"

You mean, like our pResident?

He proves your point beyond a doubt!

[tinanator]

18. which college?

what years?

[Enraged_Ape]

26. Porter (College V)

1982-86. (Go SLUGS!!)

Actually, I do believe this koi came out of the Porter College koi pond. I remember walking by there every morning on the way to class. That fish was probably in that pond when I was there.

[tinanator]

28. merrill

83-88 those were the days

[Enraged_Ape]

29. Wow, I had a couple of German classes at Merrill

We probably passed each other a couple of times. Who'da thunk it? (I was the guy who was out of breath from running all the way across campus at 7:30 in the morning.)

I really miss the UCSC of that time. It truly was a paradise--the absolute perfect time and the perfect place. I know that it's changed so much now that I'll probably never go back there. I'm more comfortable with that idyllic world from my memories.

[General Discontent]

33. Sterile Merill?

I haven't been there since 2000, but I need to return to finish my degree- C.E. I'm typing this from my pad in Seabright..... Love SC, and UCSC too


DWolfman

[Terran]

19. I am amazed they have them now

Santa Cruz was totally counter-culture when I was going to Berkeley in the late 1970's. That they have a greek system in place now is a real step backward for them. Too bad, and see where it's gotten them.

Dirk

[Exultant Democracy]

32. At least they ate it,

it would have been a real shame if they had wasted it after killing it.

[progressivebydesign]

21. Koi are like pets..

..this would be no different than taking a shop kitty (a store mascot of sorts), and killing it and serving it as food. They deserved some jail time.. One.. for the grand theft. Two.. for the cruelty. Three.. for endangering the lives of those they fed it to. They have no idea what type of bacteria, etc. was in that pond, or the fish. Sick.

[AngryAmish]

35. It is an f'n fish

Fish are for catching and eating.

[Neshanic]

22. I love Koi, watching them is very relaxing.

In Phoenix, there is a lunch spot with a big Koi pool, sitting and watching them glide around takes the edge off a morning.

Frat boys...I know the mentality, I was one.

[seemslikeadream]

23. How could they?

This link has great pictures
http://www.aquatechnobel.be/p_o_j_k2.htm

[nagbacalan]

36. How could they?

It's easy when you're a drunk frat guy filled with a sense of enabling entitlements. If he read, bet this one would get W's attention. Can presidential pardons extend to local ordinances?

[seemslikeadream]

24. Here's some prices on those jewels

25" Showa
Isa bred
3 year old female
$9500
Hajime Isa has been breeding the world's best show quality Showa for the past four decades. Many of his magnificent specimens have won numerous championships including the All Japan which is held each January in Tokyo.
From left to right:
Eldon Elias, Hajime Isa, Hiroshi Umeda

11" Beni Kikokuryu
Igarashi bred
2 year old ?
$2,200
BURNING AMBERS GLOWING IN A HOT FIRE is a realistic description to describe the metallic Hi color of this magnificent Beni Kikokuryu. Seiki Igarashi has created another one of his show quality Nishikigoi MASTERPIECES. The unusual pattern, extreme high sheen to the skin and the sharp/crisp contrast between the different colors make this specimen a one of a kind show quality koi. I immediately spotted this beautiful koi in a tank with 400 other fish the moment I walked into the greenhouse. It stood out as though it were glowing with fire under the dark water. An obvious purchase but an extremely rare find.

20" Ginrin Lonfin Hi Utsuri
Yamasan bred
3 year old female
$4,500
The vast majority of Japanese Nishikigoi breeders shun away from longfin koi. However, the Yamasan koi farm of Niigata started breeding longfins eleven years ago with much success. This "BUTTERFLY" has it all; large flowing fins, highly pronounced ginrin, an excellent pattern, deep brilliant color, and perfect body conformation. This rare beauty will truly be the highlight of any pond.

16" Tancho Kohaku
Marujyu bred
2 year old female
$2,200


http://www.eldon-koi.com/

[BostonTeaParty04]

27. I was at a palace outside Paris.... the koi were HUGE

And I mean huge....

4 feet long maybe??? and pretty fat.... HUGE. I am sure they were Koi,......

[pinniped]

34. Here are links to the story as reported last year...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2003/06/04/fish.DTL

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/05/MN94963.DTL

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/07/BA235666.DTL

Stupid marons qualify for a BA in Stupidity.