Man mistaken for kidnapper

[Montrovant]

Assuming the details of the article are accurate, this is pretty terrible. A man tries to help a toddler at a softball game who is wandering alone, and ends up being beaten up, accused of attempted kidnapping and sexual predation on Facebook, and eventually driven out of his home.

"Good Samaritan" mistaken for kidnapper while trying to help lost child - CNN.com

According to the police, there is at least one independent witness who verified the man's account that he was merely helping a lost child. The man refused to press charges against the father who beat him up, and the father and family then posted the man's name, picture, pictures of his children, and accused him of being a sexual predator.

There may well be details missing from the report, good reason for the father of the toddler to believe the man was a predator rather than trying to help. Just based on the article, though, this is very much a "no good deed goes unpunished" kind of situation.

 

[TNHarley]

That was a crazy story. I read it yesterday.
I cant really blame the father. He just looks up and sees his daughter in another mans arm? I would have done more than that..
There were also a couple witnesses that saw the child try to get away and he forced her hand or something.
I can see the confusion. Seems like a good dude, though. IF witness accounts are correct.

 

[JOSweetHeart]

If parents knew how to keep better eyes on their kids, we wouldn't have such problems.

God bless you and the man and the child always!!!

Holly

 

[strollingbones]

he said he saw her walking...why didnt he just walk with her and ask her to come back to where people were?
but then again i found a child one time and when i bend over to ask her where she was headed...she jumped in my arms....we walked back towards people however....and i am sure a woman holding your child does not invoke the same reaction...

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

This is why I get really annoyed by social media shaming campaigns people will engage in. About once a week I'll see a friend of mine share a post from one of their friends, or friend of a friend, with a picture and/or name of some person accusing them of doing some horrible act and the original poster is asking everyone to spread the story far and wide to publicly humiliate that person and teach them a lesson for their alleged indiscretion. Unless you were there and have firsthand knowledge of the supposed incident, how do you even know the story is true? Yet, people repost that shit without even thinking about it.

 

[strollingbones]

oversharing on fakebook? surely you are kidding? and the same old bs stories make the rounds time and time again...but the public shaming is something i dont see much of...due to the limited number of 'friends' on fakebook

 

[TNHarley]

fuck facebook

 

[Montrovant]

That was a crazy story. I read it yesterday.
I cant really blame the father. He just looks up and sees his daughter in another mans arm? I would have done more than that..
There were also a couple witnesses that saw the child try to get away and he forced her hand or something.
I can see the confusion. Seems like a good dude, though. IF witness accounts are correct.

It's hard to make any judgements without being there. The story makes it sound as though the father and family of the toddler went way too far; the initial physical attack is understandable, but the Facebook attacks on the man, after the police seem to be saying it was confirmed as an act of kindness, seems overboard. If there are other witnesses to the original incident who say the supposed Samaritan was actually trying to abduct the girl, though, that changes things.

I agree with DontTazMeBro, though, that people seem to happily just share any shaming post like that they come across, regardless of whether it is deserved.

 

[Bruce_T_Laney]

Saw the story yesterday and the sad part is most men will not want to help because of the fear they might end up like that guy.

Many years ago in Vegas a boy was trying to cross the street to go to the store for his mom. Well I helped him and brought him back to his mother but in today time I would not even speak to the kid. ( I was in my late teens )

So if it is true the guy was trying to help, well his kindness just cost him too much...

The sad and pathetic world we live in today...

 

[TNHarley]

Saw the story yesterday and the sad part is most men will not want to help because of the fear they might end up like that guy.

Many years ago in Vegas a boy was trying to cross the street to go to the store for his mom. Well I helped him and brought him back to his mother but in today time I would not even speak to the kid. ( I was in my late teens )

So if it is true the guy was trying to help, well his kindness just cost him too much...

The sad and pathetic world we live in today...

I get that but this guy was carrying the toddler. What was the father supposed to think? Apparently, some said the child was even trying to get away from him.
Picking up someones kid is a no-no. He could have helped her without picking her up or trying to force her hand.

 

[Bruce_T_Laney]

Saw the story yesterday and the sad part is most men will not want to help because of the fear they might end up like that guy.

Many years ago in Vegas a boy was trying to cross the street to go to the store for his mom. Well I helped him and brought him back to his mother but in today time I would not even speak to the kid. ( I was in my late teens )

So if it is true the guy was trying to help, well his kindness just cost him too much...

The sad and pathetic world we live in today...

I get that but this guy was carrying the toddler. What was the father supposed to think? Apparently, some said the child was even trying to get away from him.
Picking up someones kid is a no-no. He could have helped her without picking her up or trying to force her hand.

True, but seeing the guy is either Pakistani or Indian he might not have understood his stupidity.

Culture differences sometimes cause more problems and to him picking up the kid might have been a smart move where you and I know better.

 

[TNHarley]

Saw the story yesterday and the sad part is most men will not want to help because of the fear they might end up like that guy.

Many years ago in Vegas a boy was trying to cross the street to go to the store for his mom. Well I helped him and brought him back to his mother but in today time I would not even speak to the kid. ( I was in my late teens )

So if it is true the guy was trying to help, well his kindness just cost him too much...

The sad and pathetic world we live in today...

I get that but this guy was carrying the toddler. What was the father supposed to think? Apparently, some said the child was even trying to get away from him.
Picking up someones kid is a no-no. He could have helped her without picking her up or trying to force her hand.

True, but seeing the guy is either Pakistani or Indian he might not have understood his stupidity.

Culture differences sometimes cause more problems and to him picking up the kid might have been a smart move where you and I know better.

Valid!

 

[Montrovant]

Saw the story yesterday and the sad part is most men will not want to help because of the fear they might end up like that guy.

Many years ago in Vegas a boy was trying to cross the street to go to the store for his mom. Well I helped him and brought him back to his mother but in today time I would not even speak to the kid. ( I was in my late teens )

So if it is true the guy was trying to help, well his kindness just cost him too much...

The sad and pathetic world we live in today...

I get that but this guy was carrying the toddler. What was the father supposed to think? Apparently, some said the child was even trying to get away from him.
Picking up someones kid is a no-no. He could have helped her without picking her up or trying to force her hand.

Where did you see it reported that he was carrying the toddler? Every report I've seen says he was "leading" the girl.

That is a worry, though. I remember taking the little one I nanny to the park one day, and a bunch of other kids wanting to play with me. I was sitting on a bench, talking to all of the kids while I watched my little one, when a young boy came up and jumped into my lap. I was immediately worried about his parent or parents seeing and thinking I was some sort of predator. It's unfortunate, because young children are often very tactile and enjoy physical contact, but it's just not something you can reasonably do with a stranger's child.

 

[TNHarley]

Saw the story yesterday and the sad part is most men will not want to help because of the fear they might end up like that guy.

Many years ago in Vegas a boy was trying to cross the street to go to the store for his mom. Well I helped him and brought him back to his mother but in today time I would not even speak to the kid. ( I was in my late teens )

So if it is true the guy was trying to help, well his kindness just cost him too much...

The sad and pathetic world we live in today...

I get that but this guy was carrying the toddler. What was the father supposed to think? Apparently, some said the child was even trying to get away from him.
Picking up someones kid is a no-no. He could have helped her without picking her up or trying to force her hand.

Where did you see it reported that he was carrying the toddler? Every report I've seen says he was "leading" the girl.

That is a worry, though. I remember taking the little one I nanny to the park one day, and a bunch of other kids wanting to play with me. I was sitting on a bench, talking to all of the kids while I watched my little one, when a young boy came up and jumped into my lap. I was immediately worried about his parent or parents seeing and thinking I was some sort of predator. It's unfortunate, because young children are often very tactile and enjoy physical contact, but it's just not something you can reasonably do with a stranger's child.

Thats what i read yesterday. I wish i could remember where i read it!

 

[Bruce_T_Laney]

Saw the story yesterday and the sad part is most men will not want to help because of the fear they might end up like that guy.

Many years ago in Vegas a boy was trying to cross the street to go to the store for his mom. Well I helped him and brought him back to his mother but in today time I would not even speak to the kid. ( I was in my late teens )

So if it is true the guy was trying to help, well his kindness just cost him too much...

The sad and pathetic world we live in today...

I get that but this guy was carrying the toddler. What was the father supposed to think? Apparently, some said the child was even trying to get away from him.
Picking up someones kid is a no-no. He could have helped her without picking her up or trying to force her hand.

Where did you see it reported that he was carrying the toddler? Every report I've seen says he was "leading" the girl.

That is a worry, though. I remember taking the little one I nanny to the park one day, and a bunch of other kids wanting to play with me. I was sitting on a bench, talking to all of the kids while I watched my little one, when a young boy came up and jumped into my lap. I was immediately worried about his parent or parents seeing and thinking I was some sort of predator. It's unfortunate, because young children are often very tactile and enjoy physical contact, but it's just not something you can reasonably do with a stranger's child.

Saw the story on NBC morning news and it was claimed the child was in his arms asking if that was the child mommy according to one witness.

 

[TNHarley]

Saw the story yesterday and the sad part is most men will not want to help because of the fear they might end up like that guy.

Many years ago in Vegas a boy was trying to cross the street to go to the store for his mom. Well I helped him and brought him back to his mother but in today time I would not even speak to the kid. ( I was in my late teens )

So if it is true the guy was trying to help, well his kindness just cost him too much...

The sad and pathetic world we live in today...

I get that but this guy was carrying the toddler. What was the father supposed to think? Apparently, some said the child was even trying to get away from him.
Picking up someones kid is a no-no. He could have helped her without picking her up or trying to force her hand.

Where did you see it reported that he was carrying the toddler? Every report I've seen says he was "leading" the girl.

That is a worry, though. I remember taking the little one I nanny to the park one day, and a bunch of other kids wanting to play with me. I was sitting on a bench, talking to all of the kids while I watched my little one, when a young boy came up and jumped into my lap. I was immediately worried about his parent or parents seeing and thinking I was some sort of predator. It's unfortunate, because young children are often very tactile and enjoy physical contact, but it's just not something you can reasonably do with a stranger's child.

Thats what i read yesterday. I wish i could remember where i read it!

I tried to find it but I couldn't. Maybe I imagined it but I could have sworn..