In Re Todd L.

The juvenile court found that appellant committed petty theft. (Pen. Code, §§ 484, 488.) Appellant was removed from the custody of his parents for six months for suitable placement, and various conditions of probation were imposed.

On the evening of July 25, 1979, Carla Ward placed her purse on her Moped parked in front of a library in Reseda. Appellant and two other boys came riding by on bicycles, and appellant grabbed her purse. Miss Ward caught hold of the slowest boy, Jerry, and told him, “You better tell your friend to come back with my purse.” He yelled out, and appellant dropped the purse in the parking lot and continued riding away. She recovered the purse and her money, although a bottle of perfume, makeup and a makeup bag were ruined.

She traced appellant through the boy she had stopped. Appellant admitted to her, to the police, and to the probation officer after adjudication, that he took the purse. Appellant indicated that when he saw the purse he thought he could get away with taking it for the money but he got scared when the victim started yelling and caught Jerry.

Since the issues on appeal relate to the disposition, we state in some detail the facts…