Boy arrested for opening Game Boy early

A 12-year-old boy in Rock Hill, South Carolina, just couldn't wait for Santa to deliver his presents this year. According to the local paper, the child unwrapped and opened a present containing a new Game Boy Advance this weekend -- fully three weeks before Christmas. When the young boy's mother found out, she called the police and told them to arrest her son.

The boy at first denied all knowledge of the missing handheld console, but later returned it to his mother after she threatened to call authorities. The mother then called the police anyway, and when they arrived at her home, the boy was arrested and taken to the local police station.

The boy was charged with petty larceny, but because he is a juvenile, he did not have to spend time in jail.

The boy's great-grandmother bought him the GBA as a Christmas gift and left it under the family's Christmas tree with specific instructions not to open until 25 December. "He took it without permission. He wanted it. He just took it," the great-grandmother told The Rock Hill Herald.

The mother defended her actions, telling the paper she had her son arrested because she was trying to help her son, who she said has a history of behavioural problems, including a previous arrest for disorderly conduct. "He's the type of kid who doesn't believe anything until it happens," she said.