Boss makes employee hold sign on street corner after caught stealing

17-year-old was also forced to wear pink shirt, lipstick

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – For four hours Mark Anthony Doyle stood on a Montgomery County corner with a sign that said, "I stole and lied to my boss ... This is to keep my head right."

The 17-year-old was also forced to wear a pink shirt and lipstick.

"I said, 'You have two options. You can either deal with Montgomery County and go to jail or this.' This is what i came up with," Brent Franklin said.

Franklin owns a local construction company and Doyle has worked for him for the last year.

This summer, he invited the teen to live with him so he could mentor him, help him get his life on track and help him save money.

Franklin said Doyle has had a troubled childhood.

"I wanted to help him out. He worked his butt off for me," Franklin said.

After a few days out of town, Franklin said he returned home to find a damaged Rolex watch and several thousand dollars worth of high end items missing.

He said Doyle not only stole from him, but then lied about it and holding the sign is his punishment.

"I earned it. I shouldn't have stolen and I shouldn't have lied," Doyle said.

"I think he's a good kid. I think he made a mistake and this was a tough lesson to learn," Franklin said.

To read the full-story go to KSAT 12's sister station KPRC by clicking here.