Are we sure who the teen is in this case? From this quote: ("We knew it was bogus,"- Capt. Bobby Holmes with the sheriff's office told the AJC Tuesday), it sounds to me like Captain Bobby might be about 14 years old. Neither the term "bogus" or the name "Bobby" suggests a very professional officer.
The difference between many kids like this one and someone like myself, an upstanding, productive citizen throughout my adult life is; that I didn't get caught when I got carried away in my youth. In those days I wouldn't have thought twice about grabbing a radio and horsing around with it, but then I grew up.