Woman Padlocks Kids Inside Trailer to go shopping

[Shaman Slate]

Florida Woman Padlocks Kids Inside Trailer So She Can Go Shopping

Quote:

Kids.

They can be a such a nuisance. Especially when you just want to go shopping for stuff.

Amerite?

One Volusia County mother thought so. So she left her 9-year-old and 4-year-old inside their trailer home, padlocked it, and went shopping at the local Dollar General Store.

According to an arrest report, Shaval Miller padlocked her trailer home door from the outside while she went to the store for several hours.

A neighbor called police about it, and when cops arrived, they could hear Miller's children either screaming or crying inside the trailer home.

The neighbor was able to unlock the padlock for deputies with a key that was hidden in a grill (not very well, apparently), and authorities were able to get the kids.

The children told police they didn't know where their mother was.

And here's our favorite part of this heartwarming tale of one woman's desire to shop at a dollar store in peace while totally neglecting her small children:

Miller came back to the home later Saturday but cursed at the neighbor who called deputies and left without calling authorities to ask about the children, sheriff's deputies said.

Yeah! You go ******** yourself, neighbor who was concerned for the well-being of small children left to their own devices inside a trailer home! YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

The police report says the kids were fine and in good spirits once the cops arrived. They were taken to the Department of Children & Families, which handed them over to a relative.

Miller was arrested and charged with child neglect. She was released Monday morning from the Volusia County Branch Jail on pretrial conditions.

No word on what she bought at the dollar store.

[Hawk Karas]

And the mother of the year award goes to...!

[Old Blue Collar Joe]

Wow. Musta had those little liquor bottles that they carry on planes on sale again.

[Hasuki Aatisuto]

What would be so interesting about spending several hours at a Dollar Store without children?

Dollar Stores tend to have little toys that can keep her children company, and well, they're cheap. She should've bought them along and told them to play with the toys (as long as they're not a choking hazard, of course). It's better than locking them in a trailer home.

[Whispyre]

Hasuki Aatisuto

What would be so interesting about spending several hours at a Dollar Store without children?

Dollar Stores tend to have little toys that can keep her children company, and well, they're cheap. She should've bought them along and told them to play with the toys (as long as they're not a choking hazard, of course). It's better than locking them in a trailer home.

This!

Or if she really wanted to go alone, she could hired a baby sitter. If you have kids then that means you commit to it, full time. Not when you feel like it. It's like common sense is becoming a rare thing now.

[Shama_okami]

[Love Muffin88]

I'm not sure exactly what to think about this? My mom used to lock me in the house as a young child by myself, while she ran errands and what not. Of course she always told me where she was going and how long she was going to be gone.

[Destined Savior]

Too lazy to call someone to watch them? /facepalm

[Silquestnocte]

emotion_facepalm For Pete's sake, at least tell your kiddos where you are going, and be back within a reasonable time. (I feel sorry for her neighbor, they have to put up with her)

[Ratttking]

Love Muffin88

I'm not sure exactly what to think about this? My mom used to lock me in the house as a young child by myself, while she ran errands and what not. Of course she always told me where she was going and how long she was going to be gone.

That was very irresponsible of her, especially if you were completely unable to unlock the doors and get out in the event of an emergency as was the case here.

[Whispyre]

Love Muffin88

I'm not sure exactly what to think about this? My mom used to lock me in the house as a young child by myself, while she ran errands and what not. Of course she always told me where she was going and how long she was going to be gone.

But she used a padlock, locking a door is one thing, but padlocking kids in a trailer is another. If they had to get out in case of a fire.

Not to mention, with ages 9 and 4, if you're gonna be gone longer than 10min or so, you really should hire a baby sitter.

[xena91388]

Love Muffin88

I'm not sure exactly what to think about this? My mom used to lock me in the house as a young child by myself, while she ran errands and what not. Of course she always told me where she was going and how long she was going to be gone.

I'm with you on this. From the time I was 5 or 6 and my sister was 8 or 9, my sister and I were latch-key kids, as soon as we came home from school, we were alone until mom and dad came home 2-3 hours later and would spend all day home alone during the summer when my mom and dad were at work. She believed we were safe as long as we kept the doors locked and knew how to use the phone. It also helped we had two big ol' Pitt bulls to scare off the baddies. We weren't alone in our status either. The county we grew up in was poor in general so most families had both parents working. More than half the kids in my school were latch-key kids.

Do I see anything wrong with a mom locking her kids in the home to go shopping? Not really, 9 year olds are pretty responsible and good problem solvers but not every kid is the same and not every scenario is the desirable kind. Either way, people shouldn't be so quick to condemn. We need all the facts before making a judgement.

Was there no air conditioner? Was there no food or running water? Did they not have access to a phone for emergencies? Were the kids in immediate danger when the police came? Were the kids really screaming for help or was the neighbor who called just spiteful and knew this would get the woman in trouble. Locking them in under those conditions is something I would object to. The padlock from the outside was also a bad idea, she should have provided her 9yr old with something to lock from the inside that they could unlock in an emergency.

[David2074]

To all you folks saying, "Well I was a latchkey kid....."
Okay, so was I at around age 11 or 12 (maybe even sometimes before that - I don't remember) but these kids were 4 & 9.
Florida law does not have a preset age for leaving a child alone but they do require the situation to be "appropriate for the child's age or mental or physical condition". Very few 4 year olds can adequately care for themselves. Some mature 9 year olds could do a pretty good job of caring for a 4 year old for a reasonable period of time if she didn't need emergency medical care.

HOWEVER - the very fact the mother apparently felt she had to padlock them in the house from the outside suggests she does not feel the 9 year old is mature enough to stay safe on his own. I was NEVER locked in my house / room / etc and I'm guessing you other latch key kids were not either.

Secondly, these could have been 17 year old kids and it would still be wrong / illegal to padlock them inside of the home. If there was a fire that could get really ugly really fast.

FL Dept of Children & Families - Frequently Asked Questions
30. How old does a child have to be to be left home alone?

Chapter 39 of the Florida Statutes (F.S.) mandates that the Hotline be contacted when any person who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a child of any age is being left home alone without adult supervision or arrangements appropriate for the child's age or mental or physical condition, so that the child is unable to care for the child's own needs or another's basic needs or is unable to exercise good judgment in responding to any kind of physical or emotional crisis.

The Hotline Counselor will assess the information provided in the call and make a determination of report acceptance or non-acceptance based on statutory criteria.

[Guardian Angela]

David2074

To all you folks saying, "Well I was a latchkey kid....."
Okay, so was I at around age 11 or 12 (maybe even sometimes before that - I don't remember) but these kids were 4 & 9.
Florida law does not have a preset age for leaving a child alone but they do require the situation to be "appropriate for the child's age or mental or physical condition". Very few 4 year olds can adequately care for themselves. Some mature 9 year olds could do a pretty good job of caring for a 4 year old for a reasonable period of time if she didn't need emergency medical care.

HOWEVER - the very fact the mother apparently felt she had to padlock them in the house from the outside suggests she does not feel the 9 year old is mature enough to stay safe on his own. I was NEVER locked in my house / room / etc and I'm guessing you other latch key kids were not either.

Secondly, these could have been 17 year old kids and it would still be wrong / illegal to padlock them inside of the home. If there was a fire that could get really ugly really fast.

FL Dept of Children & Families - Frequently Asked Questions
30. How old does a child have to be to be left home alone?

Chapter 39 of the Florida Statutes (F.S.) mandates that the Hotline be contacted when any person who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a child of any age is being left home alone without adult supervision or arrangements appropriate for the child's age or mental or physical condition, so that the child is unable to care for the child's own needs or another's basic needs or is unable to exercise good judgment in responding to any kind of physical or emotional crisis.

The Hotline Counselor will assess the information provided in the call and make a determination of report acceptance or non-acceptance based on statutory criteria.

This so much!
With a 9 & 4 year old all alone there, who knows what could of happened. Lets say they wanted to cook and started a fire (or one started on it's own from some other problem within the house) How would they get out if they are locked in from the outside? Or what if one of the kids was in trouble and they needed to get help? Yea there's phones but do they know who do call? Or can they even get to it.

There are a number of things that could happen. And you know, yea a lot of people got left alone as a kid, but there's a difference between getting left alone for a few minutes, and then there's being locked inside. Kids aren't animals that need locked up when you leave.