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Super Contributor
Posts: 1,057
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

A Florida mother says she is bewildered after she was arrested and charged with child neglect for letting her son walk to a nearby park alone.

“I’m totally dumbfounded by this whole situation,” Port St. Lucie resident Nicole Gainey told WPTV.

Gainey thought nothing of letting Dominic, her 7-year-old son, walk to Sportsman’s Park on Saturday.

The park is about half a mile from Gainey’s home and it takes Dominic between 10 to 15 minutes to make the jaunt.

“Honestly didn’t think I was doing anything wrong,” Gainey said. “I was letting him go play.”

Dominic passed a public pool on his way to the park. A person there asked him where his parents were.

“They asked me a couple questions and I got scared so I ran off to the park and they called the cops,” Dominic told WPTV.

While playing at the park, police officers pulled up and asked Dominic where his mother lives.

Officers took the boy home where police arrested Gainey and charged her with felony child neglect. She told WPTV that she paid a $4,000 bond to get out of jail.

“He just basically kept going over that there’s pedophiles and this and that and basically the park wasn’t safe and he shouldn’t be there alone,” Gainey said.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,092
Registered: ‎01-02-2011

Re: Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

Arresting her seems over the top. Why not bring the boy home and warn the mother?
Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,126
Registered: ‎06-20-2010

Re: Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

A felony? That seems a little extreme.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,204
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

Are we more paranoid or are we raising more pedophiles?

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,126
Registered: ‎06-20-2010

Re: Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

I don't think it's wise to let a 7 year old walk to the park alone though.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,204
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

I let my second grade sons walk to school.

Super Contributor
Posts: 1,248
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

People are so paranoid.

Super Contributor
Posts: 750
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

This arrest was wrong on so many levels. She should get her money back and an apology from the PD.

Money doesn't talk; it swears. --Bob Dylan
Frequent Contributor
Posts: 132
Registered: ‎03-26-2010

Re: Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

Arresting her was a ridiculous waste of the police department's time and energy. If it were my child I would not let a 7 year old walk that far and play alone in the park but I don't think its cause for an arrest, a warning of the dangers that can happen to a little 7 year old by his or herself would have been sufficient here.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,829
Registered: ‎03-18-2010

Re: Another mother in trouble with law for allowing 7 year old to go to park alone

I think felony arrest is extreme but I do think 7 is too young to let a child walk that far alone. I also agree that Americans are more paranoid, in Australia this would be considered completely normal.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
JFK