Family Court judge talks flash mob penalties

Flash mobs and their effects have been well-documented in the media — especially in the last week — but we often lose track of the teenagers involved.

So Fox29 went to court for an interview with Family Court Judge Kevin Dougherty to find out what happens after the fact.

The interview focuses on last winter’s Center City mob that weaved through Market Street, the Gallery and Macy’s. Twenty-nine kids were found guilty of rioting and simple assault, but their punishments varied.

Dougherty said in his efforts to weed out the bad kids from those who just got caught up in bad behavior, some of the teenagers received a different sort of penalty: five of them were sent to work in Macy’s, and the court confiscated the money they earned.

Four are still doing well, but one was caught stealing from the store.

Watch the full interview for more details on how the court dealt with those 29 teens.