A Georgia man was arrested after leaving three young children unsupervised for an hour and 42 minutes, according to a police report obtained by Today.com.
Chris Louis, 24, dropped her children (10, 6, 1 year old) at McDonald’s on March 22nd along with an indoor playplace. Witnesses told police that he saw Louis ordering food from the children around 4:30pm and that Louis left the restaurant and came back and left again.
When Louis returned to McDonald’s around 6:18pm, officers detained him and were later charged with deprivation of a minor. Louis told authorities that he walked from his apartment to the restaurant with his children but didn’t want them back while he was in a job interview nearby. He also said he does not own the car.
According to a new police report filed April 2, Louis 10-year-old told officers that his father frequently left them alone.
Police reports say the children were greeted by their mother and Louis was taken to Webster Detention Center. Child Protective Services were notified and incident reports were made.
News of the arrest quickly spread to social media, attracting attention from Antonio Brown, a former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver who created GoFundMe for Louis.
“The story surprised me. My dad is trying to find a way to make money for his family,” writes Brown. “He knows he shouldn’t just leave his kids, but some don’t have the means of babysitting or anything like that.”
Brown added that he hasn’t spoken to Louis yet, but said Gofundme assured him that “they will get funds from Chris and his family.”
Many people on social media have gathered behind Louis, expressing their support and sympathy for the challenges many parents face in balancing work duties with child care needs. The arrests also sparked debate over the flaws of the judicial system.
“This case sheds light on the struggles faced by people trying to improve their lives without a reliable support system,” one person wrote on Facebook. “While leaving young children alone is a safety risk with legal consequences, it raises important questions about the challenges many parents face when balancing employment opportunities and childcare.”
“The sheriff in Richmond County, Georgia is dishonorable! What a miscarriage of justice! “He needs to help with childcare so he will be able to do his job. He can’t get help until you get a job. He can’t take children to interviews where humanity is.” “Helicopter parenting culture has to end. This is insane. A 10-year-old child was doing something normal like 30 years ago for parents to do something next to him.” “The guy who was Trina, but child safety comes first at 10 years old who isn’t mature enough to be 1 year old, but that’s sad.” “This is what happens in a country where parenting isn’t prioritized and not affordable to everyone… you have to choose whether to earn fabrics and leave your kids on MacDO.”
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