Nosy neighbors are the WORST. They see a tiny glimpse of your life and just run wild with it.
That's what seems to have happened to Melissa Henderson, who was arrested after allowing her then 14-year-old daughter, Linley, to babysit while schools were shut down due to the pandemic back in 2020.
While she was babysitting her four younger siblings, the youngest, Thaddeus age 4, wandered outside and went to a neighbors house to play with his friend. When Linley discovered he was missing approximately 10-15 minutes later, she went to the neighbor's house (where she assumed he was) to get him. But the neighbor had already called the police.
According to Henderson, FIVE cop cars came to her house to arrest her, where they then handcuffed her and took her to jail, where her ex-husband had to bail her out.
The reasoning, according to the police, was that Thaddeus had wandered outside the year before, so this was obviously a case of a serious criminal pattern. We can't have young boys trying to wander off and explore!
Henderson told Reason,
I almost don't have words for how low it made me feel. To truly feel in the bottom of my heart that, if I'm anything, it's a good mother and everything you do is for your kids. To be stripped of that to the point where you are handcuffed in front of them.
According to Reason, she is facing criminal reckless conduct charges, which carry a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Local authorities have refused to drop the charges, despite national attention over the last two years.
The arresting officer, Deputy Sheriff Marc Pilote, wrote in his report that anything terrible could have happened to Thaddeus, including being kidnapped, run over, or "bitten by a venomous snake." (When Henderson protested that the kid was only gone a few minutes, Pilote responded that a few minutes was all the time a venomous snake needed.)
A photo of the Henderson's backyard and the treacherous journey the 4-year-old took to the neighbor's house (on the right) shows the likelihood of any of those scenarios taking place:
Yeah, look at how dangerously busy that rural country setting is. There's probably rattlesnakes and kidnappers waiting behind every blade of grass!!
The neighbor literally could have sent him home and watched through the window to make sure he arrived safely but calling the police was probably a lot more satisfying.
The district attorney, Jeff Langley, said that the 14-year-old's learning disability (she had previously been diagnosed with ADHD) made her an unreliable babysitter, despite the fact that kids can babysit under Georgia's child protective guidelines starting at age 13.
Linley had also completed the Red Cross Childcare program and was CPR certified, in addition to having a 4.45 GPA and serving as vice president of the 4-H Club... not exactly a scenario that screams child neglect.
According to Reason,
The case has been dragging on for almost two years now, while Henderson's lawyer, David DeLugas, argues that charging a mom for a normal parenting decision was declared unconstitutional by the Georgia Supreme Court in 1997.
I think we can call this the definition of a "normal parenting decision" and in fact, a normal parenting scenario. If you've ever been around a 4-year-old you know that they sometimes wander off. And in this case, he thankfully didn't wander too far from home and was safely returned home with no issues, except for bothering a nosey neighbor who made one too many phone calls to the police.
Hopefully the charges against Henderson will soon be dismissed and children everywhere will again be able to play outside without fear that their parents will be dragged away in handcuffs.
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