This Mom Was Arrested and Jailed for Making Her Son Walk a Half-Mile Home
What does it take for a parent to get arrested?
Surprisingly little.
Scott and Heather Wallace of Hewitt, Texas, encourage their three boys to play outside on their own to build independence.
One day, driving home from karate practice, 8-year-old Aiden misbehaved. So, half a mile from home, Heather stopped the car and told him, “Walk the rest of the way on your own.”
He’d done it before. But this time, before he got home, someone called the police.
“There’s a little boy walking down the sidewalk,” she told 911. “He’s a perfect target for somebody to kidnap!”
Police picked Aiden up and drove him home.
His parents share their story in our new video.
“You weren’t worried about [Aiden]?” I ask them.
“Not at all,” says Heather.
Scott adds, “It’s a safe neighborhood.”
It’s true. Based on data from the FBI, their town is among the safest in Texas.
Nevertheless, the cops arrested Heather! They kept her in jail overnight.
“It was terrifying,” she tells me. “I was just waiting, crying.”
The cop told her, “To have an 8-year-old…walk by himself, that’s a big problem….We don’t know who’s in that white van.”
That’s just dumb, says Lenore Skenazy, author of Free-Range Kids.
“99.99 percent of white vans are guys coming to fix your toilet or mow your lawn.”
She says ignorant media mislead us about what’s really dangerous. News reports cite Justice Department data and claim “460,000 kids are reported missing every year!”
But that just means: “460,000 children are late for dinner, stayed at school and forgot to tell their mom….The definition of ‘missing’ is missing for an hour!”
Kidnappings by strangers are extremely rare. Just being in
Article from Reason.com
The Reason Magazine website is a go-to destination for libertarians seeking cogent analysis, investigative reporting, and thought-provoking commentary. Championing the principles of individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, the site offers a diverse range of articles, videos, and podcasts that challenge conventional wisdom and advocate for libertarian solutions. Whether you’re interested in politics, culture, or technology, Reason provides a unique lens that prioritizes liberty and rational discourse. It’s an essential resource for those who value critical thinking and nuanced debate in the pursuit of a freer society.
