ain't like it used to be
what's this world coming to? take a 13 year old boy, walking home from school with no coat in 20 degree weather, someone stops to offer him a ride home, and see what happens...
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/09/2007
IMPERIAL - A 13-year-old student at Ridgewood Middle School wasn't about to take any chances Wednesday when a stranger stopped a van and offered to give him a ride home.
He didn't respond to the man's questions about why he wasn't wearing a coat in the cold temperatures. Didn't take him up on his offer for a ride. Didn't break his stride.
But he did study the van and memorize the name of the business on its side.
Once home, the boy told his parents what had happened, and they called police.
On Thursday, the Fox School District sent a letter home to parents telling them about the incident and reminding them to talk to their kids about bus stop safety.
But it was just a good intention misinterpreted.
The man, who had business reasons for being in the area along Walnut Ridge Court about 4 p.m., was simply concerned that the child was walking without a coat in the 20-degree weather, said Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer.
"After he stopped, he got to thinking that it probably wasn't a good idea especially because of the Hornbeck case," Boyer said referring to Shawn Hornbeck and another kidnapping victim, William "Ben" Ownby, who have been in the national spotlight since they were found at the Kirkwood apartment of Michael J. Devlin.
"The child did an excellent job," Boyer said. "It's unfortunate that it was just a gentleman trying to do what he thought was a good deed."
Boyer said anyone who was concerned about a child should contact police or school officials instead of approaching the child. He would not release the name of child or the man.
The boy provided such an accurate description of the van that police were able to find the man, who has no criminal history, to question him Thursday, Boyer said.
"(The student) actually made our investigation real easy," Boyer said.
Fox Superintendent Diane Brown said sending the letter home with students was a safety precaution as well as a chance to once again remind parents of the importance of talking to their kids about safety.
"Just knowing that the child was prepared enough to report it makes me very happy to realize that what we're teaching them at school and what parents are teaching at home, the kids are listening to," she said.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/09/2007
IMPERIAL - A 13-year-old student at Ridgewood Middle School wasn't about to take any chances Wednesday when a stranger stopped a van and offered to give him a ride home.
He didn't respond to the man's questions about why he wasn't wearing a coat in the cold temperatures. Didn't take him up on his offer for a ride. Didn't break his stride.
But he did study the van and memorize the name of the business on its side.
Once home, the boy told his parents what had happened, and they called police.
On Thursday, the Fox School District sent a letter home to parents telling them about the incident and reminding them to talk to their kids about bus stop safety.
But it was just a good intention misinterpreted.
The man, who had business reasons for being in the area along Walnut Ridge Court about 4 p.m., was simply concerned that the child was walking without a coat in the 20-degree weather, said Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer.
"After he stopped, he got to thinking that it probably wasn't a good idea especially because of the Hornbeck case," Boyer said referring to Shawn Hornbeck and another kidnapping victim, William "Ben" Ownby, who have been in the national spotlight since they were found at the Kirkwood apartment of Michael J. Devlin.
"The child did an excellent job," Boyer said. "It's unfortunate that it was just a gentleman trying to do what he thought was a good deed."
Boyer said anyone who was concerned about a child should contact police or school officials instead of approaching the child. He would not release the name of child or the man.
The boy provided such an accurate description of the van that police were able to find the man, who has no criminal history, to question him Thursday, Boyer said.
"(The student) actually made our investigation real easy," Boyer said.
Fox Superintendent Diane Brown said sending the letter home with students was a safety precaution as well as a chance to once again remind parents of the importance of talking to their kids about safety.
"Just knowing that the child was prepared enough to report it makes me very happy to realize that what we're teaching them at school and what parents are teaching at home, the kids are listening to," she said.
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Sad, yes but reality. That kid did a good job to not talk and remember the guy and van in such great detail. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Kodiakk
Sad, yes but reality. That kid did a good job to not talk and remember the guy and van in such great detail.
+1
It is real sad that our world has come to this. When I was a kid my parents left the house unlocked so I as a kindergardener could walk home from school (about 1/2 mile) and be able to get into the house. I was not there alone very long and the nieghbors kept an eye out for me untill my mother got home. But still a parent could do this back then.
Today I worry about leaving my kids at the house for 5 minutes to run to the corner store. I do on accation but I am not in the city. And when I run to the corner store my kids lock the door and will not open it for nobody.0 -
Even while I was a kid it was well known not to talk to strangers, and it was unimaginable to get into a car with a stranger. I lived in a decent suburb of Portland Or.
When I got a bit older though I moved to the country by Pacific City OR and I would be walking down the road and people would pull over all the time to give me a ride. They would always start off by saying "Boy Alan you really rocked them in last fridays football game." It was great everyone knew me and I never had to walk anywhere anymore. [:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by git_r_done
quote:Originally posted by Kodiakk
Sad, yes but reality. That kid did a good job to not talk and remember the guy and van in such great detail.
+1
It is real sad that our world has come to this. When I was a kid my parents left the house unlocked so I as a kindergardener could walk home from school (about 1/2 mile) and be able to get into the house. I was not there alone very long and the nieghbors kept an eye out for me untill my mother got home. But still a parent could do this back then.
Today I worry about leaving my kids at the house for 5 minutes to run to the corner store. I do on accation but I am not in the city. And when I run to the corner store my kids lock the door and will not open it for nobody.
My youth was similar to yours. My parents had no fear. If I wasn't home at dinnertime....probably I was into trouble somewhere; probably I had had found trouble, and trouble had not found me.
I think it would be the same today, except that there IS the 1:1000,000 chance that leaving your kid unattended will result in something....well, 1:1000,000 BAD.
I never wore a helmet while riding my bike. My parents usually did not know where I was....and god-damnit! I'm healthy. Normal kids know how to behave. Accidents are just that.0 -
ya! betcha his parents could get slapped with "reckless child endangerment" or whatever for not providing him with a coat, but if you see the frozen little %%%%% walking home you better not stop and offer a ride. what's wrong with this picture? 0 -
It's all Bush's fault. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
ya! betcha his parents could get slapped with "reckless child endangerment" or whatever for not providing him with a coat, but if you see the frozen little %%%%% walking home you better not stop and offer a ride. what's wrong with this picture?
Ya know, that's kinda' what I was thinking.
Call me.....whatever... but a 13yr old (not 5 or 8 or even 10, but 13, goes off to school without a coat in 20*f weather (acting tuff or just dense?) and then comes running home to Mommy and Daddy when some well meaning passer-by merely stops and offers help? And for the cops to actually track the guy down and question him?! Did the man try to coerce the "child" into the vehicle or do SOMETHING menacing or "scary"?
My $.02, the whole situation is shat, and YES a terrible attestment to the state of morals, etc in our Country today!0 -
quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
ya! betcha his parents could get slapped with "reckless child endangerment" or whatever for not providing him with a coat, but if you see the frozen little %%%%% walking home you better not stop and offer a ride. what's wrong with this picture?
A kid that age is capable of seeing his own way off to school. I know my kids (a little younger than him) will try to go with out a coat sometimes. I have to catch them to wear one.
I would say it is very possible for a teenager to get out to school without a coat leaving it at home.
I don't think you can fault a parent for that in a child that age.
But that would be my opinion.0 -
Before I got through the whole article, I was thinking the kid was just dropped off on the side of the road without a coat after being kidnapped and set free and it would be some heroic return story.
But hell no it's another story about how everyone is a predatory child molester. It's really a shame how we have been groomed by the government/media to think this of everyone. It makes me sick that the automatic assumption was this guy way going to molest this kid. I'm really suprised he wasn't charged with attempted child abduction, attempted child sexual assault, attempted kid knapping ect. It's no wonder why everyone is totally rude to each other. We have been groomed to trust no one and suspect everyone is a criminal of some sort. Fear has been instilled into each of us to think no one is safe at anytime of your life. The truth of the matter is that less than 1% of people are criminals/molesters. Yet we are trianed to think everyone is. It's a crying shame when someone can't even offer someone help when clearly in need of it. Yet we scratch our head in disbelief when a crime occurs and no one intervenes. What if this kid had just been dropped off by some crook and he didn't know where he was and no one stopped to help and he froze to death?
BTW since we live in constant fear someone tell the terrorists they can go home now cause our government/media has accomplished their goal for them.
I'll bet the guy in the van will never stop to offer help to anyone again. I think I'll go puke now..........[xx(]0 -
Deleted 0 -
quote:A kid that age is capable of seeing his own way off to school. I know my kids (a little younger than him) will try to go with out a coat sometimes. I have to catch them to wear one.
I would say it is very possible for a teenager to get out to school without a coat leaving it at home.
I don't think you can fault a parent for that in a child that age.
But that would be my opinion.yeah, I would agree with that- if it was a little warmer, cuz it was pretty dang cold here a few days ago and just too cold for anybody to try that. maybe there's a reason that wasn't mentioned like he lives 1 block away from school, or he had a coat but somebody swiped it, or he was wearing several shirts instead, or whatever.
quote:the automatic assumption was this guy way going to molest this kid. I'm really suprised he wasn't charged with attempted child abduction, attempted child sexual assault, attempted kid knapping ect. It's no wonder why everyone is totally rude to each other. We have been groomed to trust no one and suspect everyone is a criminal of some sort.yep, I betcha that's exactly what the fuzz was checking for from the start, to see if it was an "attempted abduction". ok, yeah, it's good to guard against that and the cops probably took the right approach to the situation, but dang, like you said in the next part, it's a shame things are like this.0 -
Ya know its a shame that you can't even do a good deed anymore. Another thing that bothers me is this sueing for every little thing. My mother-in-law, God Rest Her Soul, was taking her best friend to church one Sunday when she got hit by another car. Both were hurt in the accident.
Didn't her best friend that she knew for over 50yrs and took to church every Sunday turn around and sue my mother-in-law. Needless to say that ended their friendship. It just a shame what our world has become.0 -
quote:Originally posted by williamprynn
It's all Bush's fault.
Get over it; he won.0 -
A few years ago in a grocery store a woman was in the aisle with a 2 year old child in the shopping cart's seat. Kid was staring at me (as kids will do) so I asked "How are you, today?"
The woman spun around and screamed... SCREAMED at me to not speak to her child.
I guess you have to be careful, but sheeeeesh!
Teaching kids to avoid strangers is good, I suppose, but wasn't there a case a few years ago about a small kid lost in the woods and he ran away from the searchers because his parents told him to avoid strangers? He was in the woods for several days but could have been found the first one if he hadn't run away when searchers got close. He's lucky to have survived.0 -
quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
ya! betcha his parents could get slapped with "reckless child endangerment" or whatever for not providing him with a coat, but if you see the frozen little %%%%% walking home you better not stop and offer a ride. what's wrong with this picture?
X-RING!!0 -
We are being "trained" well.
Do NOT try to help others.
There was a day when you didn't have to be worried about being sued, arrested, etc. for lending a helping hand. Sad.0
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