An Ohio couple who went rafting on a dangerous river without life jackets were sentenced last week to community service. They were charged with "misconduct during an emergency" because, apparently, the river was at flood stage and they either got in trouble or were assumed to be in trouble after they were spotted on the river, and searchers then had to spend hours looking for them. They were able to get to shore on their own, and then lied about having been on the river in the first place, which didn't make the judge any happier with them.
The couple chose community service rather than possible jail time, and the judge then sentenced them to spend a day at an outdoor festival standing in a tiny swimming pool, wearing life jackets and handing out water-safety brochures.
Personally, I think this is far too lenient, and that they should also have been required to wear facemasks, flippers and a snorkel. Maybe the judge wanted the punishment to fit the crime, but still.
Prior creative sentences have included listening to Barry Manilow, spending three hours in a chicken suit, vandals having to shoot their own cars with paintball guns, and the one imposed by a Colorado store owner on shoplifters, which involved a choice between being reported to the police and giving up one of their shoes.
