On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 00:34:02 -0400, "W P Dixon"
wrote in
::

The felony would be theft of something with the value of over 2,500 bucks.

If you're referring to this:

Section 13A-7-21
Criminal mischief in the first degree.
(a) A person commits the crime of criminal mischief in the first
degree if, with intent to damage property, and having no right to
do so or any reasonable ground to believe that he or she has such
a right, he or she inflicts damages to property:

(1) In an amount exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars
($2,500); or ...

the DA would have to convince a jury that the 14 year old had *intent*
to damage the aircraft. I doubt that that was the 14 year old's
intent; after all, if he had wanted to damage the aircraft he could
have done so by means other than taking it aloft.

What motivation would the 14 year old have had to intend damage to the
aircraft? I find it far more likely, that he wanted to experience
flight not inflect damage.