Ten Year Old, Arrested for Giving Food to Terri Schiavo, Apologizes

LifeSite ^ | August 31, 2005

[NYer]

LifeSiteNews.com

Wednesday August 31, 2005

Ten Year Old Arrested for Giving Food to Terri Schiavo Apologizes

TAMPA BAY, August 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Ten year-old Joshua Heldreth, the eldest of eight children, was arrested on Good Friday of this year for trespassing while attempting to bring a drink of water to Miss Terri Schaivo.  Days later Schiavo died of intentional dehydration.  In court Joshua pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 hours of community service and ordered to write an apology for his actions.

The boy whose arrest photo was splashed on front pages of newspapers across the nation wrote in his apology letter, "I was arrested on Good Friday for trespassing on the hospice center's property . . . Not giving Mrs. Shiavo (sic) food or water was wrong.  The reason I had to go on your property was because Jesus would do the same thing.  It made me sad that she was so thirsty and it made Jesus sad too.  I knew she would die without water and I am called by Jesus to be a defender of the defenceless.  So I had to go on your property to try to bring her a drink."

Joshua added, "I am sorry that you didn't like that and wouldn't allow me to help save her life and one day you will have to tell God why.  I won't be able to help you then like I tried to help her. I will pray for you every day . . ."

LifeSiteNews.com caught up with Joshua's father Scott Heldreth today.  Scott told LifeSiteNews.com he is very proud of his son.  "My son has amazed me through this whole thing," said Heldreth.  The proud father said it was his son's own initiative to attempt to give the starving woman a glass of water, and despite the warning of his parents that he'd be arrested, the boy insisted.  "He was the one who begged us to go down, because he wanted to give her a glass of water . . . We explained that police will never let you help . . . you'll be arrested, but he went anyways."

Pro-life leader Rev. Flip Benham of Operation Save America told LifeSiteNews.com that the whole pro-life movement shares Heldreth's pride in his son.  Benham recalls the reaction of Heldreth on Good Friday as he watched his son being arrested: "When that all took place Scott was weeping, this father was weeping tears of joy seeing his son not only talk the Christian talk but walk the walk."

While the apology letter has been submitted, Heldreth told LifeSiteNews.com he's not completely sure it will be accepted.

See Joshua's full handwritten apology letter here:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005_docs/JoshuaApolog...

[mdmathis6]

Now a days a "liberal" emperor without clothes would have accused the child that accused him of "nakedness" as being manipulated by his evil moralistic parents. That seems to be what you are saying!

[BykrBayb]

I'm not leaving either. The trolls can keep telling their lies, but the lurkers still get to read the truth. Notice how the trolls hate the truth, like it burns them. It's not that they don't recognize it as truth. It's that they do.

[Gondring]

I'm sure you're salivating all over your self over this.

Actually, quite saddened to see pseudo-conservatives making conservatism look bad.

• Any admitted leftie who simply gave into his child's desire to protest and get arrested would receive ample servings of scorn.
• Any admitted leftie who was a registered sex offender and leading (following?) his child in illegal activities would be considered disgusting.
• Any "apology" that sounds like Bill Clinton's/Dan Rather's "I'm sorry...that I got caught" mantra would be torn to shreds.

But oh, how everyone loves it that this guy claims to be a conservative (nevermind his blatant disregard for the rights of others or the rule of law).

[BykrBayb]

Video of Terri with her father

Audio of Terri with her father when he told her they were removing her feeding and hydration for the final time.

[BykrBayb]

So you're comparing Jesus' life to that of a sexual predator? Be gone!

[Modernman]

As has been demonstrated to you repeatedly, Judge Greer broke many laws in his pursuit of Terri's murder. A corrupt system is not the same thing as the law.

Yes, yes, yes. Everyone's in on the conspiracy. For some reason, a sitting conservative Republican judge and dozens of officials in Pinellas County, Florida and the Federal government all got together to murder a brain dead woman.

Again, find me a prosecutor who agrees that crimes were committed here and maybe I'll listen to you.

[Modernman]

you don't know anything about this issue. stop pretending. goodbye.

Whatever.

[Gondring]

Stop trying to interject factual information into a budding hysterria fest.

BTW, she wasn't in a coma.

Ooops..more facts. Sorry.

[Modernman]

The majority of Americans agree that Terri was murdered.

Nope.

[drlevy88]

Leave it to the muck rakers like you.

[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.

[BykrBayb]

Keep banging your head against the wall. That's sure to create an alternate reality for somebody. The rest of us will just stick to the facts.

[Modernman]

Judge Greer is a criminal

So you claim. Why hasn't any prosecutor, from the local level to the Feda, arrested him and charged him with a crime, then?

If he didn't have such powerful friends, Terri would still be alive.

Are you talking about Greer? What powerful friends would those be?

[Modernman]

Right, and so did Hitler and his gang of murderers.

Now you're comparing the democratically elected government of Florida to the Nazis? And you terri-bots wonder why government officials in Florida won't take your calls?

[Modernman]

They do know the facts. They know Terri was murdered.

Nope. Her wishes were followed and she was released from a hellish existence.

[Modernman]

The rest of us will just stick to the facts.

The facts are, a large number of courts disagreed with your position.

The facts are, Judge Greer did his job and followed Florida's laws. He will not be indicted of anything and he is still a well-respected judge.

The facts are, your side lost and that poor girl was released from a hellish state.

[BykrBayb]

You should at least make up some elaborate lies to pass off as "evidence," like your fellow trolls do. Come on, lurkers are watching. This is your opportunity to spread your agenda. Nope, nope, nope isn't going to cut it. Maybe you should check with Dan Ra^ther to get some tips on fabricating evidence.

[BykrBayb]

How many disabled people would you like to see released from their hellish state? If Terri is the bar you measure them by, this could get into the millions before long.

[hershey]

Vicious.

[Modernman]

This is your opportunity to spread your agenda.

What agenda would that be?

Nope, nope, nope isn't going to cut it.

Okay. How about this little fact: your side lost, Judge Greer will never be indicted for anything and you are wasting your time.

Get over it.