KY - Dad jailed for toddler's sunburn

[kygal]

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/19699754.html

27-year-old Bobby Jones is charged with criminal abuse after police say he left his two-year-old son in the hot sun for too long.

Berea Police say Jones let his son play outside on Sunday for at least an hour and a half without any sunscreen or protection from the sun. The result, large blisters, which doctors say are 2nd and 3rd degree burns.


It has been REALLY hot and humid here for the past few days -- Sunday it was so hot that all you had to do was STEP outside for a second and you'd stay warm for an hour afterwards. I can't imagine how bad this must have hurt...

Why in the world did he let the baby stay out that long? I don't think even sunscreen on a day like we had would have helped that much. The only thing to do would have been to stay indoors until close to dark!

 

[Spazkat9696]

Was he playing in a pool?? If it was that hot I can't imagine any other way he could have stayed out there.

 

[pixies]

When I was a little girl I had the same type of burns on my shoulders. HUGE BLISTERS. It was horrible. Back then, I don't think anyone used sunscreen or if it was even around in the late 70's early 80's.

I had to wear tie up shirts for a month and the kids at school would poke them and laugh. It was painful. I always wonder why no one called DHS on my parents!
They were soooo young and had no idea how to raise a child but they did the best they could considering they were children themselves.

 

[southcitymom]

This April, my husband took our boys to SC for the weekend to visit my parents at the beach. The 3 of them went out to the water for a couple of hours on a hot overcast Saturday. My husband didn't even think to put sunscreen on DS5 and DS7. My parents didn't think to do it either.

Both of my boys came home with 2nd/3rd degree burns which blistered badly. They were in terrible pain. They both had to stay out of school for a week and the oldest had to go to the doctor. It was awful. My husband was (still is) wrecked about it. My sons have no permanent damage.

To think my husband could have been charged with criminal abuse is preposterous. Sounds like the mother of this husband may have put police up to it. No medical or school personnel ever suggested that my husband's behavior was criminal.

 

[angelmom]

As bad as it sounds, I cannot imagine this being criminal. An hour and a half is not that long. I can easily see how a dad (especially a first time dad) could lose track of time and not think about how hot it was. My DH tends to use himself as a gauge - if he's hot, everyone must be hot, etc. If he doesn't put on sunscreen, he would never think to put it on the kids without me reminding him...or when he noticed them looking burnt, after it's already too late.

I guess our kids are lucky I am such a nagging PITA.

I'll bet this guy feels horrible. I wonder if there is more to it than this - like maybe DFCS has been called on him before.

 

[kygal]

According to the reports this evening (which haven't been put on the internet) the mom and dad are divorced. And that the divorce has been anything but friendly... BTW, he's charged with FIRST DEGREE CHILD ABUSE -- which is a class B felony here (he could get 10 years for this!).

I'm not sure why they have just this tiny bit on their site -- there was much more on the news. His family is defending him, but the boy's mom (and someone whom I'm assuming is BF/SO) leaving with a boy that looked pretty much okay -- and refusing to talk.

I don't know that he should have been charged either, but I still think he should get a nod for "dumb idea" category. I know that I've had some doozies of sunburns too, but I don't know that it was criminal.

 

[Taximom]

I'd like to print this out and give it to my friend that took our kids to an all-day fair and music event and didn't follow my explicit orders about sunscreen and my son wearing a t-shirt in the water. He got the same type burns as your kids, SCM. I was so furious.

I got severely burned when I was a teen. Now I have to have cancer screenings all the time on my shoulders and back. I did not want my children going through this if they didn't have to.

I think neglect charges would be enough for this idiot. I'm not sure about a felony though.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I don't think it is felony worthy either. Neglectful...yes. Stupid...of course. My parents would have been locked up forever as many sunburns as I perpetuated on myself as a kid! We used baby oil instead of sunblock!! Blisters every summer is what I called the "first tan of the year".

 

[nappy2]

I cant believe some ofthe stuff they charge people with

 

[justche]

We used baby oil instead of sunblock!! Blisters every summer is what I called the "first tan of the year".

me too!

When I wanted to miss school my jr. and sr. year in high school - this was the discussion

Mom: Do you have a paper due?
Me: No
mom: Test?
me: No
Mom: Are you in a fight with a friend?
me: *exaggerated sigh* NOooo!
Mom: Ok, but if you get sunburned I won't write an excuse note for you tomorrow.

**And I used to think she was so strict**

 

[Diamond]

I had second or third (can't remember which) degree burns on the tops of my feet before. It happened on a very cool and fairly cloudy day in April. I was wearing a shirt, jeans and a jacket...but no socks and shoes that exposed the tops of my feet. I was out all day long and didn't even feel warm...but, suddenly, I couldn't walk anymore. Truly, couldn't. I didn't know what was wrong at the time. Eventually, there was redness and blisters (& much worse later). I went to the emergency room...w/help, obviously. It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to heal and walk normally again. So, while I think it was foolish in sun/heat, it can happen to any of us and in any weather.

ETA: I was even an adult when it happened. It was a really odd (& terrible) experience.

 

[golfmom]

My husband grew up down south and talks about his legendary sunburns, almost with pride.

He developed malignant melanoma in his 20s. I was pregnant with my 3rd child when I tricked him into going to the doctor to have it checked out. (stubborn man) We were really lucky.

Sunburns are SERIOUS.

 

[MCDRAW]

I'm pretty sure that even though this man forgot about sunscreen this time, he won't forget again. Not after seeing his little boy in such pain. This Country just does not believe in accidents anymore. They arrest this man for what may have been a mistake but they leave other children in homes where there are abuse allegations. Sometimes until those children loose their lives. I told my mom one time, that this is a very scary time to be a parent, they expect parents to be perfect. But somehow the abusers are never noticed.

 

[Floh]

I had second or third (can't remember which) degree burns on the tops of my feet before. It happened on a very cool and fairly cloudy day in April. I was wearing a shirt, jeans and a jacket...but no socks and shoes that exposed the tops of my feet. I was out all day long and didn't even feel warm...but, suddenly, I couldn't walk anymore. Truly, couldn't. I didn't know what was wrong at the time. Eventually, there was redness and blisters (& much worse later). I went to the emergency room...w/help, obviously. It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to heal and walk normally again. So, while I think it was foolish in sun/heat, it can happen to any of us and in any weather.

ETA: I was even an adult when it happened. It was a really odd (& terrible) experience.

Now wearing FLIP-FLOPS can give you skin cancer

Doctors issued a warning today about the risks of* "flipflop cancer".
They fear the rising popularity of open-toed sandals and designer flip-flops is putting people at risk of getting skin cancer on their feet.
They say footwear such as the gladiator sandals favoured by Sienna Miller and Kate Moss can increase the risk of women developing deadly lesions because they increase the skin's exposure to intense sunlight, a key cause of skin tumours, or melanomas.

Read all: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...lops-raise-skin-cancer-risk-doctors-warn.html

 

[southcitymom]

I'd like to print this out and give it to my friend that took our kids to an all-day fair and music event and didn't follow my explicit orders about sunscreen and my son wearing a t-shirt in the water. He got the same type burns as your kids, SCM. I was so furious.

I got severely burned when I was a teen. Now I have to have cancer screenings all the time on my shoulders and back. I did not want my children going through this if they didn't have to.

I think neglect charges would be enough for this idiot. I'm not sure about a felony though.

I'm so sorry that happened to your son. It is heartbreaking. My kids could barely even sleep that week and our youngest would wake up in the middle of the night crying and yelling "I can't take it anymore!" Truly, I don't know how my husband made it through that week without slitting his wrists. He was in as much emotional pain as they were in physical pain.

As golfmom points out, sunburns are serious business. Also - they can sneak up on a person.

I'm not neurotic about much, but I have spent the last seven years chasing my kids and their pasty Irish skin around with sunblock! They would never get burned on my watch - something my husband knows and which added to his mortification!

I too have had a burn or two as a teen (idiot me - slathering myself in Crisco and LIVING in the sun!) - almost everyone has lived through it. It's one thing to do it to yourself, though, and another to let it happen (even accidentally) to a kid. Still - it is RIDICULOUS that this man was charged.

 

[imthemom]

I think this was an accident and it is sad he is being charged. I think he should be more careful from now on but I don't think he intentionally sunburned his son. My aunt and uncle took my cousin to an all day baseball tournment by uncle was having. He was about 7 month old. They kept him under the shade tree all day, he mostly napped and it was cloudy that day. This was 19 years ago. He ended up with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. They had no idea you could get burned through the shade and through the clouds but you can.

 

[kahskye]

I also don't think this man should be charged. I live in a vacation spot and I see sunburned children all the time. There were times dh and I didn't put enough sunscreen on our dd and felt terrible. It seems like you can forget your kid in a car and get less of a charge.

 

[Brefie]

I'm pretty sure that even though this man forgot about sunscreen this time, he won't forget again. Not after seeing his little boy in such pain. This Country just does not believe in accidents anymore. They arrest this man for what may have been a mistake but they leave other children in homes where there are abuse allegations. Sometimes until those children loose their lives. I told my mom one time, that this is a very scary time to be a parent, they expect parents to be perfect. But somehow the abusers are never noticed.

So true!! Seems like the law is on abuser's side and there is a ton of red tape involved to remove a child from a life threatening situation in a home, but poor old dad forgets the sunscreen and they slap him with a felony????

Give me a break! If this weren't so serious it would be a frickin' joke!

 

[LadyLuck]

I do not think he should be charged. I know better, I tell my son to put sun screen on. I tell everyone in my family to use sun screen.

Had to do some yard work on Monday, wore a different top to be cooler and got a very bad sun burn on virgin skin. It hurts so bad. I did not feel it until later.

 

[MREG2]

I'm pretty sure that even though this man forgot about sunscreen this time, he won't forget again. Not after seeing his little boy in such pain. This Country just does not believe in accidents anymore. They arrest this man for what may have been a mistake but they leave other children in homes where there are abuse allegations. Sometimes until those children loose their lives. I told my mom one time, that this is a very scary time to be a parent, they expect parents to be perfect. But somehow the abusers are never noticed.[/QUOTE]


How true this is!!! I tell ya, I'm going to quit going anywhere with my kids because who knows, I may look at them wrong and get slapped with a felony.