Texas mom arrested for letting her children play outside

[daddyo]

I'm really surprised at the cops who actually arrested her. Another example of how our legislators have made just about everyone a criminal with insane laws.

I hope she wins her lawsuit.

http://www.wptv.com/...ngerment-arrest

Edited September 20, 2012 by DaddyO

[Lumber_Jack]

Seems pretty ridiculous. So if I call the police and tell them my neighbor stole my lawn mower and is using it to mow his lawn, would they come arrest him and give me his mower?

Since when is playing outside unsupervised child endangerment? The oldest was 9. I understand it's dangerous in today's times, but she should have been given the benefit of doubt.

I would have spent the night in jail, but it would be for kicking my neighbors ass

[piercedan]

Every parent of every kid I knew growing up would have been in jail. We were kicked outside to play.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Heh heh. That would clean up the hood around here, for about 30 minutes. I bet that law wouldn't last long, either.

We used to be able to do things like that and have a blast. Now, everyone is scared of their own shadow.

[Caster]

I was playing outside in the woods of our 50 acre place when I was 5 or 6. Home by dark or my butt cheeks would suffer dire consequences. Although, mom was MORE than happy to let me stay indoors. There's always something that needs cleaning, so feel welcome to stay as long as you like.

By the time I was 9 I knew the property lines, I knew that crossing them involved a leather belt and I had no issues telling my parents on a fall friday afternoon, "My homework is done, I'm going hunting, I'll be back in time for church sunday." Maybe my dad would drive the truck back there to check on me, maybe not. Until i was a teenager I was allowed 5 rounds for my single shot .22 and by God you better not take 6. Never needed more than that because I never liked cleaning more than two or three squirrels anyway. Cooked over a little campfire, that time alone was most therapeutic and kept me from going barking mad from idiots I grew up with.

I hope that mother wins her lawsuit and gets enough cash to put that kid through college.

[daddyo]

My first taste of this kind of thing was when I took my then 9 yr old son rollerblading in a local park. Seeing as how we weren't speed skating or anything, I let him skate with no helmet, and I did the same. We met two women walking the other direction on the path, and one of them looked at my son and said in a real disgusted tone "Where's your helmet?". He looked at her and said "It's in the car". She retorted, "Well, you need to be wearing it!!" while giving me a particularly nasty stare. I just stared back at her and said "You know, some people should learn how to mind their own business". They walked off in a huff. I guess I'm just lucky that she didn't call the police or child protective services. She was probably a liberal democrat to boot.

Edited September 20, 2012 by DaddyO

[Guest uofmeet]

WTF? really? the kids i grew up with, we use to play hide and go seek and use the whole block we lived on.....i was outside a lot when i was a kid. They should be praising the parents who kids go outside and play instead of kids staying inside and sitting in front of the computer/TV

[peejman]

If they were playing in the street on a busy street I can certainly see the cop giving her a lecture, but arresting her? There must be more to the story.

My kids are 4 and 2 and they play outside while I'm working in the garage/yard. I do not have eyes on them every second. My ears give me a good idea of where they are and what they're doing. I do check on them frequently. The older one knows to stay in the yard (and does, for the most part) and the younger one just follows his big brother around. I only worry when it gets quiet.

[Guest nysos]

When I was 8 or 9, I would walk around in the neighborhood by myself all the time - going up to a friends house, playing outside, riding bike, whatever.

One of my friends had a good deal of land behind his house, we used to ride his gokart around all the time by ourselves with the passenger holding the pellet rifles. We would go down to his pond and go fishing, climb trees, etc.

Things like this story are outright ridiculous.

[gjohnsoniv]

That's ridiculous. I would think there is more to this than an idiot neighbor and police.

[Murgatroy]

Wow. That is some BS. If it is what it seems on the surface, I hope she takes her neighbor to the cleaners.

[E4 No More]

As a former LEO I'm floored by this story: however, I don't see her winning a suit against the department. If the complainant swears by what he/she saw they saw then it's not your place to doubt it; it's for the court to decide.

That being said, I would have told the complainant that I'll have a talk with the subject, and if that isnt good enough I'd direct them to the prosecuting attorney citing officer descretion.

Whatever is this world coming to?

[Guest G23FM]

I would like to find that police report and read it....

[vontar]

Every parent of every kid I knew growing up would have been in jail. We were kicked outside to play.

I started riding my 1980 Honda z50r. when I was 6. By 9-10, i was for the most part unsupervised.

However, if the police didn't see it, the word of a bitching, complaining neighbor should not be all that is needed. Truth be told, the neighbor probably doesn't like that lady or the kids.

[Major Kong]

I guess she should just consider herself lucky that a SWAT truck of thugs didn't show up to take her down in case of non-compliance.

I hope by the time her lawsuit is done she's driving the police chief's car and living in the neighbor's house.

[Trekbike]

The only thing I can ask is, "where are we going and why am I in this handbasket"

Edited September 21, 2012 by Trekbike

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

Like the saying goes..It takes a village to raise a child...../boggle

When our son was.growing he went all over the.neighborhood to this.or that friends house..Granted, he was raised on a military instalation.We felt safer.

I wonder if this is the whole story..the truth..or something missing..

If this is all truth..wow..she better get a good councel

[RichardR]

Wow, just wow.

Stuff like this lends credibility to all of the tin-foil hatters who claim the US has become a "police state" it sort of makes it kind of hard to argue with them when I keep reading isolated after isolated after isolated incidents like this.

[vontar]

Wow, just wow.

Stuff like this lends credibility to all of the tin-foil hatters who claim the US has become a "police state" it sort of makes it kind of hard to argue with them when I keep reading isolated after isolated after isolated incidents like this.

Those that wear tin-foil hats are similar to those, wait and see. General those that say just wait and see will bust your head every time. I remember that being in a movie years ago about WW2. I believe some navy guys sitting around the table talking about how in the 30s some said airplanes would be a threat but no one took them serious, until Pearl Harbor.

[strickj]

Sheesh.

When I was that age I would head out in the mornings and might not see Mom again until after dark.

We crossed Bonny Oaks about a hundred times a day (when it was still residential but still busy), played deep in the woods and around the TNT plant.... and all unsupervised. Damn wonder we survived without "the MAN" holding our hands. I won't even mention the BB guns, darts and other dangerous toys that made us all men

[TMF]

So, it's a crime to let your kids play without supervision? I get that it is the discretion of the officer, but if the officer is a mouth breathing inbred there should be some kind of recourse here. At a time when PDs are suffering budget cuts all across the country, I don't see how harassing everyday folks and opening themselves up to litigation is very bright. Even if she doesn't win anything, it still is gonna cost the department money and give them a black eye. Hopefully they fired this half wit and replaced him with a grown up. Clearly the officer here is the one that needed adult supervision.

[MacGyver]

There's got to be something missing from this fine piece of reporting. This cannot be the whole story.

Interestingly enough, violent crimes against persons are statistically about half of what they were when I was growing up in the '70s. Yet, we all scare so easily these days that you'd think a child molester is lurking around every corner.

[daddyo]

There's got to be something missing from this fine piece of reporting. This cannot be the whole story.

Interestingly enough, violent crimes against persons are statistically about half of what they were when I was growing up in the '70s. Yet, we all scare so easily these days that you'd think a child molester is lurking around every corner.

It's interesting to me that those who are left-leaning are convinced that this is the case, however, they will ridicule those of us who carry for "living in fear" of the boogie man waiting around every corner.

[TMF]

It's interesting to me that those who are left-leaning are convinced that this is the case, however, they will ridicule those of us who carry for "living in fear" of the boogie man waiting around every corner.

Well, I think this is less related to "boogeyman" and more related to one moron taking too many stoopid pills that day. There are enough stupid people stealing our oxygen to support that theory.

[Dennis1209]

It's a sad state of affairs when even an anonymous caller can make an accusation and get your children taken away to child services, happens all the time.

Unless you know for a fact and/or witness a child is being neglected / severely abused, people should take the easy way out and mind their own business.

There is a place for child protective services but, like all political / government programs, it's gotten way out of hand.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child", how has that worked out for U.S.?