FL-AMBER ALERT Haleigh Cummings 5 yrs. old - Putnam County #15

[obguthr]

Teenagers can also be "emancipated" in Florida. Once emancipated - they are treated as "adult".

and TRIED as an adult...

 

[djk]

OMG! Misty is NOT a child! She is old enough to give birth, quit school if she chooses, drive, and marry if her parents sign for her!! This is a young woman who happens think she is in love (and she may be). In less than a year, she will also be old enough to vote, fight for our country, and marry anyone she so desires.

many people determine child/adult based on age factors, just as many do not look at age factors but look at maturity level. in my life I have met 13 y.o persons with more maturity than 25 y.o. persons. I think the best I can say for Misty is that if in fact she is not still a child then she is an adult that presents a very childish persona and also acts childish. She isn't even a young adult in my book. I would say she probably has been "sheltered", although she herself was quoted in the media as saying "I'm city, not country."

 

[impatientredhead]

The age of consent in Fl is 18, but by law, the exception permits an adult age 24 to legally ingage in sexual activity with a minor aged 16 or 17.

Actually the law says someone under the age of 24 can be with a 16 or 17, but 24 is illegal. The dad is 25 anyway.

 

[Wise Old Owl]

RESPECT + RESPONSIBILITY = REPUTATION

Think about it............................

just saying...............................

 

[Storm]

If I did any judging at all, it was raising children in a home where
the adults sleeping together are not married. The father is 8
yrs older than his underage girlfriend. What kind of example is
this to the children?
It's also been said that the dad said if Haleigh missed another
day of school, he could go to jail.
That doesn't sound like normal parenting to me, either.
What kind of example is failure to send to school set?
What does all this teach the children about priorities and
values?
I realize folks have different values, but I do think that
going to school should be a priority for all of our
children. They are our future.
^i^

Why are people checking out the families of this couple? What do they have to do with this little girl missing? It never fails..a child goes missing and the parents and families get torn to shreds for no good reason. Why not stick to finding this little girl? Isn't that what this forum is all about!

Yes, that is their culture and there is nothing wrong with it. Keep the women barefoot and pregnant...like that doesn't happen in the cities that we live in.
Get a grip for pity sake. I know a lot of families that have more children then they can probably afford but it isn't me raising them so it's none of my business.

My dad was raised in Arkansas and I'm sure that some of you would have some very negative things to say about the people there. I don't live in the south but I live in redneck country and love it. Good people live here and most don't run around with a stick up their rears thinking they are so much better then other people. That is how some of you are coming off. If everyone doesn't live the way you think they should then they are a step below you. How judgmental.

None of us know this father or how he lives or anything about him or about his girlfriend. I doubt that he is abusive...he was very angry, upset, and scared to death when he found his daughter missing. Yes, he called his girlfriend a bad name which doesn't mean he does it all of the time so don't assume. Who knows how you would act if your child disappeared from her bedroom. It just amazes me how judgmental and goody goody some people are on here. I'll bet everyone here has skeltons in their closet and would hate for them to come out on a forum. Give this family a break and focus on the little girl that this is supposed to be about instead of picking everyone apart.

 

[FightTheOstrich]

OMG! Misty is NOT a child! She is old enough to give birth, quit school if she chooses, drive, and marry if her parents sign for her!! This is a young woman who happens think she is in love (and she may be). In less than a year, she will also be old enough to vote, fight for our country, and marry anyone she so desires.

Her maturity level does not match her age in years. I think one has to take into account emotional maturity. She obviously is "very young" in this respect, more like 12. Just b/c she can have sex, have babies, drive a car and drop-out of school, it doesn't make her an adult. My niece is 18, and you cannot even compare the two.
This is where parenting comes into play. Some 18 year olds are ready to go off to college, some are not and the parents keep them home for a year or 2 to go to community college. Every child develops @ a different pace.

 

[Carrington]

I don't see any drug arrests in the last couple of years. Trespassing, using wrong gun during hunting season and not wearing a helmet while on an ATV

Leaving the scene of an accident where someone is hurt!
Only a couple of reasons to do something like that.

Bad, real bad.
IMO

 

[FightTheOstrich]

thanks for posting that. I agree. To some extent the adults are not acting like children, they are children. they have never fully understood what it means to be a parent. but that is an O/T issue. Dad does not seem to want to take his case to the public anymore, except that I did see him walking arm in arm with the babysitter down the road. So the babysitter still has not figured out what is going on or has not been paying attention. But yeah, dad is still walking around with the child. Old habits are hard to break I guess.

as my grandmother would say, "they are playing house".

 

[Wise Old Owl]

as my grandmother would say, "they are playing house".

and my generation changed it to "shacking up"

 

[kiki the parrot]

I completely agree. Addiction, neglect and abuse etc...hit every socio-economic group. It is about values and right and wrong etc... I know that I wouldn't hire a 17 year-old babysitter to stay overnight w/ my daughter for instance.
O/T, I smile everytime I see KiKi, this is the name of my daughter's baby doll and her "imaginary mother, far, far away".

Yes and it hardly has to be the "Cleavers," as someone said. I just think that every child deserves to have some order, stability, and at least one consistent adult who puts their needs first. I am a single (divorced) mother, w/ a chronic illness and very limited income. But my four children are everything to me. And I would not expose them to anything like what we've seen here. That doesn't mean I'm trying to be holier than thou, it simply means I have gratitude and appreciation for the gift my children are, never lose focus or lose sight of that but take my responsibilities seriously. JMO

:blowkiss:

arrot:

 

[obguthr]

If I did any judging at all, it was raising children in a home where
the adults sleeping together are not married. The father is 8
yrs older than his underage girlfriend. What kind of example is
this to the children?
It's also been said that the dad said if Haleigh missed another
day of school, he could go to jail.
That doesn't sound like normal parenting to me, either.
What kind of example is failure to send to school set?
What does all this teach the children about priorities and
values?
I realize folks have different values, but I do think that
going to school should be a priority for all of our
children. They are our future.
^i^

Marriage is not a prerequisite for being good parents. Neither is there anything immoral about their age difference. She is not a child. Nothing magical happens when we turn 18. It's just an arbitrary legal construct.

 

[lawlady84]

This is as recent as it goes. But I guess worrying about any of this is just "judgmental..." JMO

Snipped- I just wanted to add that I've been skimming through the fast-moving thread and I really agree totally with what you're saying.

Children deserve a certain basic level of care, love, and respect. Its often easier to point out in situations like this where there seems to be a clear lack of care of basic needs, but its by NO means a socio-economic thing, as you've said kiki.

I live in Manhattan, and you have some of the wealthiest people who could give their children anything in the world- yet I see elementary school children walking to school alone, as the lincoln town car arrives a few hours later to pick up the mother from home. I'm sorry- these are people who COULD EASILY afford to have someone take their children to school, or, G-d Forbid, walk their children to school themselves! But no, they just don't CARE. I'd bet those children are just as emotionally neglected as any child in a rural area. And I'm not making a generalization here-I know some of my neighbors pretty well and I'm just shocked. Children are just another status symbol sometimes, thats it. :furious::furious::furious:

 

[SeriouslySearching]

LOL A misdemeanor hunting rifle charge:

2007-11-14 1 WILDLIFE CITATION - #132466-C GFFC/ EASON 11-02-07
2007-11-14 1 POSSESSION OF MODERN FIREARM DURING MUZZLELOADING
2007-11-14 1 SEASON

He was probably out trying to get a deer to feed his family.

2005-09-08 21 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OF ADI LEVEL II PROGRAM

He got caught with pot and it appears he completed his program. (In Hollywood, they call this a spa treatment complete with photo ops.)

2007-04-03 1 COMPLAINT FILED: PCSO/ WALTER 04-02-07
2007-04-03 1 AFFRAY

Looks like he got ticked off...but didn't hurt anyone. (Might have had to do with bio mom's family, imo, for all we know!)

2006-11-14 1 TRAFFIC CITATION - #6417EEN-3 PCSO/ MANNING 10-30-06
2006-11-14 1 LEAVING THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT

Out of all of those...this is the only one that remotely bothers me. You should never leave the scene of accident especially where there are injuries. Period.

 

[Storm]

Isn't that we're all about? Sleuthing means getting into
strangers lives and trying to determine what happened?
We can't help find out what happened without knowing
the family and I bet that family dynamics plays a big
part in a lot of these crimes...Le even eliminates family
first?
^i^

Isn't it easy to justify our behavior when we feel the need.

 

[cheko1]

yup, it is more likely the would build a low slung structure on the side of any hill they could find and then cover the structure with sand/dirt/vegetation to make it disappear into the hillside. That would be like a cave thing, not underground. So a person would accomplish the same thing as far as a hideout goes if it was well done. most homeless camps are somewhat transient so unless someone wanted to *move in* to the area so to speak I can not see the effort being put out.

Your correct!
Hubby & I talked about all of the people hired who work in the groves & fields. We stopped at one & not a one could speak English / some also wouldn't even come near us.

 

[Wise Old Owl]

Well according LE and the presser this afternoon - they still believe she is still in the area - somewhere. IMO and only my opinion - LE believes someone has her - she's not out in the woods - I say this because of the "scaled back" searches and not needing "a thousand people".

Oh to be a fly on the wall. Would love to know what they think right about now.

 

[LaLaw2000]

Thenks for the explanation. Why weren't the charges expunged from his record?

I still say that this may have been 'nolle prossed' because someone else may have been in the car with him and the possession of substance could not be proven. This would not be expunged - at least not in Louisiana.

On the charge of cannabis in excess of 20 grams - if you look in the media links - Cummings entered a 'nolo contendre' meaning 'I will not contest'. He did not plead guilty or not guilty. That meant he would accept the fine and/or punishment the judge decided. This charge was not nolle prossed. This is located in the last page of the media links. I believe he must have cooperated with LE and gave up his supplier.

JMO, IMO

 

[BeavisMom62]

I hope I'm not disturbing anyone when discussing demographics of the area Halliegh is from. Being from the Northwest I was wondering if the circus people off season live in that area? I remember hearing as a young woman that many people with a criminal record live amongst the carnival people and wondered if this sect of society might need looking into? Remember I'm not from those parts when responding.

I think the circus people go to Sarasota, which is on the west coast of Florida.

 

[indicat]

Yes and it hardly has to be the "Cleavers," as someone said. I just think that every child deserves to have some order, stability, and at least one consistent adult who puts their needs first. I am a single (divorced) mother, w/ a chronic illness and very limited income. But my four children are everything to me. And I would not expose them to anything like what we've seen here. That doesn't mean I'm trying to be holier than thou, it means I have gratitude and appreciation for the gift my children are, never lose focus or lose sight of that but take my responsibilities seriously. JMO

:blowkiss:

arrot:

It seems to me extremes are being taken with your point. We all no there are prolly not any Clever's out there. I believe there are parents on all economic levels that could learn from this. Children MUST come first! And all the various aspects of this case are part (and I'm saying part) of our problems in society.

 

[obguthr]

Well according LE and the presser this afternoon - they still believe she is still in the area - somewhere. IMO and only my opinion - LE believes someone has her - she's not out in the woods - I say this because of the "scaled back" searches and not needing "a thousand people".

Oh to be a fly on the wall. Would love to know what they think right about now.

It was mentioned that they were reinterviewing people. Does anyone know if they are reinterviewing local RSOs? Have they conducted any new home searches? Someone on the ground should be able to see that. I'm curious to know what KJ has been doing all this time.