Arrested mom asks for apology

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golfmom

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This story is so bizarre it's the only forum appropriate to post it in.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-crestwood13dec13,0,2281190.story

A mom stepped away from her car with her two year old strapped in the car seat. She was always within eyesight of the car and was only away for 5 minutes. She wanted to get a photo of her two older daughters (8&9 years old) donating their money to charity.

Police officers swarm her and arrest her for child endangerment.

"In Illinois, parents who leave their children in a car out of sight and unattended by anyone at least 14 years old for 10 minutes or more can face child-endangerment charges that carry a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine."

Then it gets really bizarre ... she assumed the police took custody of her ... uh no ... they left the 8 and 9 year old girls at Wal-Mart sitting on a bench.

Officers then went to her car and started the engine with the baby inside -- "exposing my child to carbon monoxide poisoning," Coyne said. She assumed the other girls were in police custody.

But they weren't.

"The police abandoned my other daughters at the Wal-Mart," said Janecyk, who eventually found them seated on a bench in the Wal-Mart. "I asked them why they didn't ask for help, but they said the police scared them."

Citizen's Arrest ... Citizen's Arrest ...
 
I'm really torn on this one. It is absolutely HORRIBLE that her two girls got left behind at the Walmart. But whose fault is that? The article states that the mother 'refused to speak to officers until her husband arrived' which presumably did not happen until she was at the police station, and the girls themselves did not speak up.......so how would the officers at the Walmart know there were two other girls with her?

After reading the article twice, I am less and less torn......I think this woman's absolutely, incredibly, insanely stupid decision to remain silent led to her children being abandoned at the Walmart. Instead of an apology, she just might get a little visit from officers who will be there to arrest her for two MORE counts of child endangerment. That's just how I see it. For now!

editing to add: Also, having noted that it was icy cold that day, icy enough to where the mother thought she'd fall if she tried to carry her sleeping two year old with her, I don't think it was unreasonable for police to start her car up.....they obviously weren't going to leave the car running long enough to kill her baby with carbon monoxide, they were trying to WARM HER CHILD. The law states the car must be out of eyesight for ten minutes, the temp. in a car can really drop in that length of time.......I think although this woman's intent was obviously innocent, she made some bad decisions that day, and she is going to have a rough row to hoe if she wants to turn this case into a 'bad cop' scenario.
 
Uh, why wasn't she screaming for her girls?? You wouldn't get me in a police car until I knew they were safe too.
 
something i dont understand. ok mom gets out of the car and walks 30feet away with the 2 older children. the cop comes up to the car and mom turns around and discovers the officer. the cop tells the mom she is in trouble and calls for back up. mom refuses to speak and they arrest her.

when did the 2 older girls enter the store? when did mom lose sight of them? 8 & 9 year old little girls alone in walmart at Christmas. that is so dangerous. you have the right to remain silent but dont be stupid. when you can no longer see your children ask "where are my older girls?" "i had 2 other kids with me. where did they go?" i find the details she is giving hard to believe. if she is with the 2 older girls and no more than 30 feet from the car why didnt the officer see the older girls?
 
From what I understood of the story, she did tell the police that she had other children on the scene. Whole deal is a real strange story. I gotta admit I have during cold winter months locked my kids and ran in to pay for gas, or return a shopping cart. At the worst, she should have received a ticket for parking in a no-parking zone and a warning. Maybe, even a referral for a DHS evaluation. Arresting her, taking the little one and leaving behind the other two children seems like a big over-reaction.

Now the PD is guilty of exactly what they're charging her with.
 
golfmom said:
From what I understood of the story, she did tell the police that she had other children on the scene. Whole deal is a real strange story. I gotta admit I have during cold winter months locked my kids and ran in to pay for gas, or return a shopping cart. At the worst, she should have received a ticket for parking in a no-parking zone and a warning. Maybe, even a referral for a DHS evaluation. Arresting her, taking the little one and leaving behind the other two children seems like a big over-reaction.

Now the PD is guilty of exactly what they're charging her with.
Click to expand...
i read both stories several times looking for anywhere that says anything about her speaking to police about the other children and found nothing. i did find where she refused to speak to police. can you point me to what you read that implies she told police she had other children on the scene?
 
sherri79 said:
i read both stories several times looking for anywhere that says anything about her speaking to police about the other children and found nothing. i did find where she refused to speak to police. can you point me to what you read that implies she told police she had other children on the scene?
Click to expand...

Sherri, I've looked everywhere I can think and haven't found it again. It actually may have been an interview held on tv published online ... I wish I could find it for you.
 
If you google her, she's supposedly a photographer and apparently has also created or at least contributed handmade jewelry to charity. I think she's your artsy type and possibly scrapbooks, which is why I think she took a picture of them donating money.

Although I think that's weird because donating money should just be done, not documented! lol IMO anyway.

Sherri, I don't know which link it was but I read that she refused to give the police the name of her child that was in the car until her husband arrived. Why, I couldn't tell you. Is hubby a lawyer perhaps?!
 
I think the police overreacted. The car was parked at the curb, obviously in eyesight of where the salvation army people stand for the donations; it was less than 10mins. I don't see her as having broken any laws aside from parking in possibly a fire lane or no parking zone (being it was at the curb outside the store). The officer or officers at the scene should have noticed she had other children with her. They are trained to be observing of surroundings etc. You would have think they noticed her taking pictures and interacting with the other 3 children and that when confronted, the children would be staring at the mother and police. Maybe her husband is a lawyer or someone they know in the legal field, that's what is sounds like. This whole thing is being blow way out of proportion, including her asking for an apology. Just get the charge dropped, it was a misunderstanding, and get on with it..
 
If the Madeline Mccann story hasn't taught parents to NEVER leave their children alone for a second I don't know what else will.
If the policeman saw the child you can bet a child predator could have then she would be on the news screaming for the police to help.
She is at fault. She left her child.
I have several small kids (4) and wherever I go, they go. Is it hard? Yep! But they are safe.
 
pixies said:
If the Madeline Mccann story hasn't taught parents to NEVER leave their children alone for a second I don't know what else will.
If the policeman saw the child you can bet a child predator could have then she would be on the news screaming for the police to help.
She is at fault. She left her child.
I have several small kids (4) and wherever I go, they go. Is it hard? Yep! But they are safe.
Click to expand...

:clap: I couldnt agree more!!!!
 
pixies said:
If the Madeline Mccann story hasn't taught parents to NEVER leave their children alone for a second I don't know what else will.
If the policeman saw the child you can bet a child predator could have then she would be on the news screaming for the police to help.
She is at fault. She left her child.
I have several small kids (4) and wherever I go, they go. Is it hard? Yep! But they are safe.
Click to expand...

And, even if you believe her "version" of events, she had her eyes off that car for at least 5 minutes... it takes 7 seconds for a child to disappear...

I have a feeling it was 1) farther away than she states, or 2) she didn't look at that car for far longer than she claims.
 
MagicRose99 said:
And, even if you believe her "version" of events, she had her eyes off that car for at least 5 minutes... it takes 7 seconds for a child to disappear...

I have a feeling it was 1) farther away than she states, or 2) she didn't look at that car for far longer than she claims.
Click to expand...


I agree, MagicRose.
 
MagicRose99 said:
And, even if you believe her "version" of events, she had her eyes off that car for at least 5 minutes... it takes 7 seconds for a child to disappear...

I have a feeling it was 1) farther away than she states, or 2) she didn't look at that car for far longer than she claims.
Click to expand...

I agree as well. It's also very weird IMO that she refused to talk to the police (and didn't say anything baout the two girls).... I just find her story very strange. I doubt the cops would jump like that on a mom who had in bad weather strapped her toddler in the car seat, closed the doors, and hurridly returned the shopping cart three cars over, looking over her shoulder and at her surroundings. Weird.
 
Anytime I leave my kids in the car to take pictures of my other kids giving to charity the cops have been really cool about it. She should have gotten her little one out with the other two. Pixies, good on your for keeping all your little ones with you at all times. Kudos for doing the right thing.
 
pixies said:
If the Madeline Mccann story hasn't taught parents to NEVER leave their children alone for a second I don't know what else will.
If the policeman saw the child you can bet a child predator could have then she would be on the news screaming for the police to help.
She is at fault. She left her child.
I have several small kids (4) and wherever I go, they go. Is it hard? Yep! But they are safe.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Children have been snatched right from their own homes and from their yards.
 
The article says a friend was also along? If so, I wonder why the friend didn't go to the older girls or notice where they were during the confusion. Obviously the cop really wasn't watching the woman beforehand, just assumed that she had been inside shopping, and didn't even know about the older girls. I don't blame her for asking for an apology in a way because the cop jumped to conclusions and had the mind already made up based on what he/she was sick of.
 
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