Acushnet 14-Year-Old: ‘Don’t Steal My Wood’

Matthew DeBarros is a hardworking kid. When he wants to buy something, the 14-year-old works for his father's landscaping company and gets paid.

"He's been doing it since he could walk," joked his dad, Eric DeBarros.

The latest thing Matthew has his eye on is a CRF 250 dirtbike. He's been working hard and saving his money. Something Matthew does to make extra money is splitting firewood and selling it on his family's lot on Hathaway Road in Acushnet.

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His family is building a home on the street, and Matthew helps split the logs. It's not an easy job.

"You have to split it, then you have to let it sit for about a year so that it seasons," said the Ford Middle School eighth-grader.

That's why Matthew was so disappointed when he went out Saturday morning to check on wood sales. All of the wood was gone, and there wasn't a dime in the small bottle that hangs by the wood display to collect money from customers.

What is his message to the person who took all the wood without paying for it?

"Don't steal my wood," said Matthew.

"I'm trying to teach my son a good, strong, work ethic," says Eric DeBarros. "They didn't even leave a buck. If they had called me, I would have gladly given them free logs for them to split themselves."

Matthew normally sells the split firewood for $10 a tote.

On social media, outgoing Acushnet Fire Chief Kevin Gallagher said: "It just so happens I need to buy some high-quality Acushnet wood. PM me the address, please."

You can find Matthew's seasoned, split firewood at 49 Hathaway Road, Acushnet.

You may be surprised to find out that stealing firewood from someone else's property in Massachusetts could land you in prison for up to six months.