Chick-fil-A founder punishes vandals

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The founder of Chick-fil-A restaurants said preteen vandals in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., have agreed to a punishment that will keep the matter out of courts.

S. Truett Cathy, 87, said he met with the three girls -- two of them 11, the other 12 -- and their mothers after the girls broke into a private residence known as the Chick-fil-A Lodge and caused about $30,000 in damages, The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal reported Friday.

"I tried to be lenient with them but wanted to punish them," Cathy said. "I wanted to show them there was a better way than the way they were going."

Cathy said the punishment includes four terms: Each of the girls must write "I will not vandalize other people's property" 1,000 times, abstain from TV and video games for six months, read a "good book" for three hours a day and submit weekly written book reports to him for 13 weeks.

"I am not after money, I am after their attention," Cathy told the News-Journal. "I want them to realize the importance of a good name and reputation."