"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:YjCte.3$Z.1@trndny05...
John Larson wrote:

If he stole the plane, and then went joyriding in it, that's not a theft
in most States either.

How the hell can anyone say with a straight face that stealing isn't
theft?

In many states, the law distinguishes unauthorized use from theft. If you
intend to keep it (or to destroy it, or to pass it on to someone else), then
you've stolen it; if you just intend to ride around briefly and let the
owner have it back, then you've made unauthorized use of it, which is a
lesser offense. (I'm not sure how the burden of evidence works with regard
to that distinction.)

That's grand theft in every State in which I've lived. That would be
Tennessee, Georgia, both Carolinas, and New Jersey.

Are you sure? How do you know?

--Gary