I made the difference in the life of a child today.

[Rain Man]

I really hate that "made a difference" saying. Really hate it. Not sure why I used it other than sarcasm since I hate it so much.

But anyway, I finished up a meeting today and was walking home when I stopped at the mall. I had to send an e-mail and it's a good place to people watch, so I bought a frozen yogurt (I love that pay-by-the-ounce frozen yogurt concept) and found a seat near the escalators.

At one point while I was working, I ended up noticing a girl who was about three years old, and it became obvious that she had no parent around. She was just wandering around. So long story short, I went and got her, and after about ten minutes I and the Cinnabon counter girl and another couple managed to reunite her with some rather frantic parents who'd lost her and were literally running around the mall trying to find her. (The Cinnabon girl didn't know how to reach mall security, which I found rather interesting, and we found the parents before we got word to mall security.)

But the part that got me thinking was that there's a risk for a 40-something guy to go approach a lost three year-old girl. If you walk up at the wrong time, you get tackled by a parent and get arrested as a stranger abduction pervert and you end up on the sex offender registry after being brutalized in prison for a period of time of not less than six to ten years, and no one's ever going to believe that you were trying to help. So as soon as I confirmed she was lost, I immediately steered her toward the teenage girl who was running the Cinnabon, because she would qualify as a trusted person more than I would. Kind of sad, really.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

To gain a successful conviction they have to prove elements. To charge him and ruin his life wouldn't require much.

It's a messed up situation. In this day and age, how many 7 year olds are "miles" away from home by themselves? How many 7 year olds are allowed to walk "miles" away from home? No parent at home to answer the phone? The kid walking up to a strangers house to ask for a ride? Don't 99.9% of parents ingrain in their child's head "never go to a strangers home".

To gain a successful conviction for murder they only have to prove 3.

You folks are ignoring the practical reality behind childhood sex cases. You can actually commit a sex crime and have a 50% chance of getting out of it. Prosecuting child-sex cases is an extremely difficult task. The evidentiary burdens are quite high and the courts recognize this. Prosecutors don't just go throwing those charges around just because a crazy parent or over-zealous cop said you did something untowards.

If they're going to prosecute you, they're going to need evidence in place beforehand. Just exactly what evidence could they have that he kidnapped or sexually assaulted a child? The kid could flip out and say he did, but I'd say dropping the kid off at the front door kinda overcomes that. If a case is going to be based on nothing more than circumstantial evidence (as this would've had to have been), there's simply not enough of it here to make the needed inferences. The parents could lose it - but who cares? Angry parents does not evidence make; it's not their call to prosecute.

Sure, I suppose the prosecutor could forego it if they chose to, but prosecutors offices don't make it a habit of wasting resources on goose chases. Furthermore, they don't stay in office long if they do.

Every day you leave your house you could somehow unwittingly fall into one of those "I know a guy..." stories. That doesn't mean it's anywhere close to likely.

As I have said - if this is how he wants to live his life, he probably shouldn't leave his house. He's no more likely to be prosecuted for kidnapping here than he would be for assault if he helped an old-woman cross the street. If you want to be a callous asshole to everyone you meet on the less than 1% chance of it going wrong for you, be my guest.

Once again - the golden rule failed miserably here. I will continue to treat people like I would like to be treated. He can continue to be a paranoid dick and justify it as though he lives on the set of Law and Order. To each their own.

[Omaha]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

I had a 7 or 8 year old boy ring my doorbell last year, he was walking home and he wanted to use my phone. I step outside and hand him my cell phone, no answer. He says he lives a few miles away and asks for a ride home. I told him that there is no way I could do that. I wanted to help him, but I knew if I gave him a ride, then I would most likely get thrown in jail as a pervert, kidnapper, whatever. He seemed sad and walked off.

WTF?????

[Chiefnj2]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

To gain a successful conviction for murder they only have to prove 3.

You folks are ignoring the practical reality behind childhood sex cases. You can actually commit a sex crime and have a 50% chance of getting out of it. Prosecuting child-sex cases is an extremely difficult task. The evidentiary burdens are quite high and the courts recognize this. Prosecutors don't just go throwing those charges around just because a crazy parent or over-zealous cop said you did something untowards.

If they're going to prosecute you, they're going to need evidence in place beforehand. Just exactly what evidence could they have that he kidnapped or sexually assaulted a child? The kid could flip out and say he did, but I'd say dropping the kid off at the front door kinda overcomes that. If a case is going to be based on nothing more than circumstantial evidence (as this would've had to have been), there's simply not enough of it here to make the needed inferences. The parents could lose it - but who cares? Angry parents does not evidence make; it's not their call to prosecute.

Sure, I suppose the prosecutor could forego it if they chose to, but prosecutors offices don't make it a habit of wasting resources on goose chases. Furthermore, they don't stay in office long if they do.

Every day you leave your house you could somehow unwittingly fall into one of those "I know a guy..." stories. That doesn't mean it's anywhere close to likely.

As I have said - if this is how he wants to live his life, he probably shouldn't leave his house. He's no more likely to be prosecuted for kidnapping here than he would be for assault if he helped an old-woman cross the street. If you want to be a callous asshole to everyone you meet on the less than 1% chance of it going wrong for you, be my guest.

Once again - the golden rule failed miserably here. I will continue to treat people like I would like to be treated. He can continue to be a paranoid dick and justify it as though he lives on the set of Law and Order. To each their own.

You are ignoring the fact that he didn't want to even be accused of anything. It isn't about conviction percentages. That's why Rain Man immediately sought the help of a female.

[Omaha]

Originally Posted by The Meat Dragon

I'd give the kid a ride home...

are you kidding me???

Wow. If a 7 year old kid needs a ride home I'm giving him one...if it's some desperate ploy or money play by the parents to try and get the kid to call rape then ****...I guess I walked into that trap...

but I'm not going to tell a 7 year old "tough luck" when they need help...especially if it just requires a short 5 minute ride home.

That's just insane.

I'm with you.

[Omaha]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

well, I'm not risking life as a sex offender and 10 years in prison for that. It would be child abduction and I would have no defense on the matter if I helped the kid. So, sorry but that's the way this world is today.

What exactly did you think he meant when he asked for "a ride home"?

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

If you don't know Cinnabon, you should immediately jet to the nearest city that has one. Cinnabon is one of the ten greatest things on earth.

Last March, I got off of an airplane at Dallas Love Field airport, and my gate exited right in front of a Cinnabon stand. I could smell Cinnabon as soon as I walked out of the plane door. It was useless to resist. Impossible.

Originally Posted by H5N1

statistics show that more ice cream is sold during the cold months than the warm months, fwiw.

Makes sense. In cold months it doesn't melt before you can eat it.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

You are ignoring the fact that he didn't want to even be accused of anything. It isn't about conviction percentages. That's why Rain Man immediately sought the help of a female.

Right.

So on the less than 1% chance that something negative might come of this, he decided he couldn't be inconvenienced and shut his door on a 7 year old.

Do unto others, indeed.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by cdcox

So how many ounces of frozen yogurt does it take to entice a 3-yo to come over and talk to you?

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

I had a 7 or 8 year old boy ring my doorbell last year, he was walking home and he wanted to use my phone. I step outside and hand him my cell phone, no answer. He says he lives a few miles away and asks for a ride home. I told him that there is no way I could do that. I wanted to help him, but I knew if I gave him a ride, then I would most likely get thrown in jail as a pervert, kidnapper, whatever. He seemed sad and walked off.

I have to assume that you own a van that has a bag of candy in the dash.

[Cntrygal]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Right.

So on the less than 1% chance that something negative might come of this, he decided he couldn't be inconvenienced and shut his door on a 7 year old.

Do unto others, indeed.

I don't blame him a bit for not giving the kid a ride (or even letting him into the house). The only thing I would have done differently is to not give the kid the "option" of calling the cops.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

It's a ****ed up world we live in when we're afraid to help children. I don't blame the individual, I blame society.

[Chiefs Rool]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Right.

So on the less than 1% chance that something negative might come of this, he decided he couldn't be inconvenienced and shut his door on a 7 year old.

Do unto others, indeed.

not long ago I helped an elderly lady who was having some sort of diabetic attack. I was on my front porch smoking and 2 20 somethings approached me and asked for a ride to a gas station to get gas. I did that and then came back and the lady in their car needed her medication, she lived on the other side of topeka and I quickly drove her home so she could get her meds. I'm all for helping out other people, but other people's kids are dangerous to help them out. Even just talking to another kid in public raises eyebrows.

But the case of the child, there are a lot of parents out there who would press charges against someone who put their kid in their car, even though it was just to help. Just because you wouldn't, that doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of people who would do the same as you. I'd probably have had to go to court and possibly prison if I chose to help the child out. That's the society we live in today. Now if I was out somewhere and this kid needed urgent medical attention and nobody was around, I wouldn't hesitate to put him in my car and drive him to the nearest hospital.

Should I have just called the police, yes. But the kid said he would fine walking and I didn't. But there is no way I'm putting a strange kid in my car and driving him somewhere in this day of age, you will get arrested and you will have some dip shit DA who looks at the case on paper and assumes pedophile and goes all out to ruin your life.

20 years ago, it would have been fine, but not today.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

I'd probably have had to go to court and possibly prison if I chose to help the child out.

That's quite a leap. I give it a 9.2.

[Earthling]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

It's a ****ed up world we live in when we're afraid to help children. I don't blame the individual, I blame society.

You do the right thing regarless. If more people actually DID the right thing then maybe society changes for the better. There are a dozen options available that are all better than just sending this kid on his way.

[DeezNutz]

I drive past a Cinnabon location almost daily. Never stop. Am I ****ing up ?