Posted on 12/17/2009 10:13:49 AM PST by streetpreacher
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WTVC-TV) - A 4-year-old boy, beer in hand, is accused of stealing Christmas presents from his neighbors. It's a strange story, but also a sad one.
April Wright is 21 years old and is going through a divorce with her husband who is in jail. She says she is not sure how her 4-year-old managed to get out of the house, open a beer, and steal the neighbors presents from under their tree. Now she's just glad he's okay and says she won't let it happen again.
The child, Hayden Wright, was found around 1:45 am Tuesday, wandering the streets of his neighborhood. In a police reports, officers said he was wearing a little girl's dress and drinking a beer. The police report says the child had to taken to the hospital to be treated for alcohol consumption.
April Wright said, "Biggest concern was him being out there, getting kidnapped, getting run over, the alcohol, having to have his stomach pumped."
Wright says she woke up that night at 1:45 am and panicked when she found Hayden was gone. She says she put safety devices on all the doors so her kids couldn't get out, but Hayden was able to break the safety device off the doorknob and get outside.
Once out, Wright says her four year old followed his father's footsteps and was found on Blue Spruce Road, drinking.
"He runs away trying to find his father," she said. "He wants to get in trouble so he can go to jail because that's where his daddy is."
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office report says Hayden rang the doorbell a few houses down and the neighbor answered, finding the child holding a partially consumeed 12-ounce beer.
Wright said, "He got it out of my father's cooler in the back and how he got it open I don't understand because it was one of those tab beers."
But it doesn't stop there. The report said Hayden then snuck into a neighbor's house through an unlocked front door, and stole five wrapped Christmas gifts. One was a girl's brown dress which Hayden was wearing when police found him.
"Going to the neighbor's house and taking their presents, very embarrassing," said April.
She admits she was not just embarrassed, but scared, and rushed to the hospital that night with Hayden. She said she tries to be a good mother and loves her son, but now feels like a failure.
"Kids do things like this and it's out of your control, you can do the best you can as a mother, everyone makes mistakes, it was an honest mistake," she said.
Wright did meet with child protective services today who told her she will get to keep custody of Hayden.
ap excerpt thread here..
Tenn. boy, 4, caught with beer, stolen gifts (wants to go to jail to be with his Dad)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409708/posts
Thanks for this local report that provides more information re: circumstances.
A sad story for all involved.
LOL!
He'll make a good little obamoron someday.............
the mother is 21... and Hayden is 4. 17 when having him. 16 when pregnant.
how many other kids? how young was she when she had her first? how many fathers? (you have to ask today)
Thanks for the link. Sad indeed.
He stole it from under the neighbor’s tree. Kid’s a ham.
Now she's just glad he's okay and says she won't let it happen again.
Good thinking Mom!
Time Magazine Mother of the year candidate!
OK, I'm a little confused. Now, maybe this is a figurative statement, but if not, and it's meant to be taken literally, how does he follow his father's footsteps since he's in jail. No snow on the ground either.
Boy am I going to feel stupid if this is figuratively speaking.
HARK! I hear Banjos!
I was four when my father went to prison, and about eight when he got out. I never even knew he had gone to prison until I was in my 30s and he had been dead for over 20 years.
Ya, I think I'll go get drunk, and steal some stuff so I can be be Dad in the joint...
Yeah, I believe that.
:o
Well I watched the video of the mother making the statement and I didn’t clear it up for me either.
LOL!
Yeah, I had the same thought.
This does not pass the smell meter. And I expect we will see a reprised report about how the mother set this up.
“Kids do things like this and it’s out of your control, ....”
Some people have babies and watch them grow into bigger people.
Others have children, (((raise them))), and guide them toward responsible adulthood.
Good, well at least I'm not alone. Just a strange statement. I mean obviously the little boy is smart, and precocious, but not sure he's THAT smart to have done all this alone.
Thanks a lot.
I’m sitting here eating walnuts, perusing this sad thread, feeling such heartache over the peculiar picture this article portrays and WHAM, I’m slammed with laughter. Talk about an emotional collision.
Whew, now I need a nap.
Yes, I always wake up at almost 2 a.m. and check on the kids.
She says she put safety devices on all the doors so her kids couldn't get out
Hmmm...Safety devises? So the kids can't get out?
but the kid was able to break the safety device off the doorknob and get outside.
Hmmm...What kind of safety devise is this that can be compromised and broken by a 4 year old....hmmm
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