9 year old flies from MN to Las Vegas with NO ticket

[jjenny]

I'm wondering what the father has to hide. Is he not exactly a model citizen? Why isn't the mother part of the interview?

Is she the biological mother? Father calls her his "fiancee."
Would be a very long engagement if this 9 year old is their biological child.

 

[21merc7]

I have no problems with the man hiding his face. Don't care if he has a record, or hiding if he is on monetary assistance and something got leaked that shouldn't. Like the "fiancee's" income. I have no idea. I wouldn't want my face on t.v., but I wouldn't be talking either.

I don't like the "please help me" on t.v. Does he want someone else to raise the child? Does he want free family counseling? What was that about? That kid will be even more out of control once he sees that on t.v. The kid will feel he has total control of adults. I do hope someone does help the child in some way. Right now he is headed toward a short life. MOO

 

[MissJ]

JMO but I'd say this kid runs the household and is overindulged. Thats why he thinks he can do anything and get by with it.

 

[gitana1]

I hope his parents are checked out to make sure he wasn't running away from an abusive situation, just to be sure.

Precisely. Something is usually very wrong when a kid goes to such lengths to get away from home. Oh and an overindulged kid who runs the house would have no need to leave. He would get everything he wants right there and a 9 year old is old enough to know that others (teachers, friends' parents) may not be so indulgent. No, something is wrong here.

Why wasn't he in school? Most schools have automated phone calls to a home when a child isn't in school, but you wouldn't believe the number of wrong numbers, incorrect numbers, disconnected numbers, especially from parents who aren't parenting much.

I'm concerned there are probably other children in the home. CPS should definitely be involved.

The 9 yr old must be fairly street smart. One story said he's wearing a monitor bracelet for fear that he would run away again.

How much do you bet the dad is "homeschooling" him? I have sadly personally seen this ruse in several cases of lazy, neglectful parents. They don't want to deal with homework or getting up early in the morning to make sure their kids go to school. How sad is that?

Good to see someone else that agrees. He learned this behavior from someone. All I see is career criminal by age 23, if he isn't shot by then. Not seeing brilliance, just seeing tricky learned behavior for a "free ride" in every sense of the word.

Call me Debbie Downer, but it is what I see.

Sad you see that. I studied child development and a bit of child psychology prior to becoming a preschool teacher. I was a preschool teacher and daycare worker for several years. What this kid had to go through, his dry runs, etc., few 9 year olds have the cognitive ability to handle all that or to put into action what they have been taught.

In my experience, the only kids able to come close to this behavior are highly intelligent kids who have been left to raise themselves - totally and completely neglected. And we have a choice in this country: Do we help such kids? Try to redirect them and give them some parenting before it's too late? Or do we build more juvenile halls and start incarcerating these "bad seeds" for life?

Sounds like the boy comes from a permissive household.

How about super, super neglectful?

How exactly are terrorists going to recruit children? Has this ever happened before?

Well, yes. In Vietnam, the enemy strapped bombs to 8 year old kids who then were instructed to run up to the American soldiers and "talk" to them. That's one example. These days, we have child soldiers in Africa and children used as human shields in Islamic nations. It's not a stretch to think they could use a kid to blow up a plane. These people are ruthless and don't care about life.

In my opinion, the guy who didn't even have a clue his 9 year old took off to Las Vegas, maybe should just stay quiet on the subject of people not doing their job.

Ya' think? What a you know what he is. IMO!

I think so.

I also can't figure out the reason for the father "hiding". His friend says he just wants to remain anonymous. :dunno: He is wrapped up like a burrito. :waitasec: Makes me wonder what else he is hiding. :waitasec:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/08/us/vegas-flight-child/index.html

How about his utter neglectfulness as a parent? The man should be charged. The child should not be returned.

 

[Elley Mae]

The father’s camouflaged appearance Wednesday at a south Minneapolis news conference added another bizarre layer to an already surreal saga. He sounded painfully overwhelmed by his young son’s precocious illegal activities, weeping as he pleaded, “Somebody please help me, please.”

http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/227085671.html

This is not passing the smell test, just sayin. jmo idk

 

[jjenny]

The kid is not home schooled. But he has been suspended from school (apparently a number of times). Sounds to me like nobody knows how to deal with this kid. In my opinion he needs highly structured environment, otherwise I fail to see how it will end up well. What the kid has done would have ended him in jail already if he was older.

 

[Hejlena]

The father’s camouflaged appearance Wednesday at a south Minneapolis news conference added another bizarre layer to an already surreal saga. He sounded painfully overwhelmed by his young son’s precocious illegal activities, weeping as he pleaded, “Somebody please help me, please.”

http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/227085671.html

This is not passing the smell test, just sayin. jmo idk

Something tells me that there are several of these family's helpers from various agencies and schools who want to jump through the screen and tell the truth each time they see this so-called parent's covered up face whining about how no one helps them. I feel so sad for this child.

 

[Trino]

Something tells me that there are several of these family's helpers from various agencies and schools who want to jump through the screen and tell the truth each time they see this so-called parent's covered up face whining about how no one helps them. I feel so sad for this child.

I think the hypocrisy is the sweatshirts that the dad and spokesperson are wearing, "Mad Dads of Minneapolis." Whoa, and dad is a member?

http://maddads.com/national/minneapolis/

"MAD DADS National was founded in May 1989 by a group of concerned Omaha, Nebraska African American men and parents who were fed up with gang violence and the unmolested flow of illegal drugs in their community. These men understood that they could not hold any one responsible for this but themselves, because they had allowed this to happen. They presented themselves as positive role models and concerned loving parents who were a visible presence in communities against the negative forces destroying children, families and neighborhoods."

 

[burbqueen]

ok I saw the video and watched it a few times and me and my opinionated mom thought the father was either on something or mentally ill. Am we the only ones seeing this? If you want to get help or do an interview why wrap up like a burrito?

Most TV stations have black screens that can hide your identity and even change your voice. So what was with the get up? Then the odd line about wanting to spank his child at the police station? OK, so that will solve everything a good old fashioned beating?? Then alarm bells went up when he said the kid must have got it from the video game Grand theft Auto and an odd remark about it just coming out. So is his 9 year old playing this violent, very adult game for hours on end?? He takes out the trash and doesnt come back and you assume he is over a friends house? uhhhhhhh....what! No one went to go check?

And yes, where is the mom? I cant believe how the parents can stay so hidden.

 

[Elley Mae]

The article I read said the mom worked at the airport. Made me wonder if he had/has spent alot of time there like it's a daycare center. If he did spend alot of time there he probably knew his way around and had become a familiar face to others that worked there.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Video just played on Fox....father speaking:

"We assumed he was at a friend's house....we had no idea where he was"

Oh, the dad did mention that he (dad) is not perfect.



That basically sums the whole problem up.....disgusting

 

[Trino]

ok I saw the video and watched it a few times and me and my opinionated mom thought the father was either on something or mentally ill. Am we the only ones seeing this? If you want to get help or do an interview why wrap up like a burrito?

Most TV stations have black screens that can hide your identity and even change your voice. So what was with the get up? Then the odd line about wanting to spank his child at the police station? OK, so that will solve everything a good old fashioned beating?? Then alarm bells went up when he said the kid must have got it from the video game Grand theft Auto and an odd remark about it just coming out. So is his 9 year old playing this violent, very adult game for hours on end?? He takes out the trash and doesnt come back and you assume he is over a friends house? uhhhhhhh....what! No one went to go check?

And yes, where is the mom? I cant believe how the parents can stay so hidden.

Have the parents done something wherein they don't want to be recognized? It won't take a good journalist long to figure out which plane the boy is on when he returns Friday. Do you suppose the parents be at the airport to meet their wayward son?

I, too, picked up on Grand Theft Auto. Where did the child get this game? And, the dad was unconcerned his son was playing this violent game, even with the son's history of school suspensions/problems? Gosh, I bet the boy's homework was all done, too, every day, every night.

The "Help me" plea went to deaf ears for me. Man/woman up, and discipline this boy. Don't expect others to do it for you.

 

[buffetoflies]

The advocate who was at the PC with dad said that the kid's family did not personally own GTA V, that he must have been playing it at a friends house. The whole press confrence stank of them trying to place blame elsewhere. The only time I heard dad sniffle was right before he had to talk. It stank of placing blame elsewhere, and I got the feeling they think they may be able to get a settlement out of their lack of par - er I mean everyone one else failing to parent their child.

Man up and uncover your face. I want to know where in mpls they live. I would put good money on it being in the north/northeast.

I wanna know this guy's name so I can look him up here so bad.

 

[rob]

He's returning to Mpls tomorrow.

A kid steals a vehicle, hits multiple parked cars, crashes into a police car, then is just sent home? Amazing...

What happened to school for a 9 yr old? His dad said he took the trash out on Thurs, then disappeared. No concern? The dad sounds like he's in left field and is blaming the TSA and Delta.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/10/08/source-boy-stowaway-being-returned-to-minneapolis/

I hate to say it, but I bet the family, who had no idea where they son was, will try to sue the airport and the airline for letting this happen. These days, its all about the money. Forget this a nine year old, that appeared to not have any parental supervision.

 

[rob]

So the kid stole not just a car, but a huge refrigerated truck.
And drove it. And crushed it. He could have easily killed someone.
Then he took off to Las Vegas. What other proof does CPS need to remove the kid from the home?

On Dr Drew, it was said when he was placed in CPS custudy in Vegas, he became hostile and unruly.

 

[Trino]

I think the boy should be in JDC (Juvenile Detention Center), but maybe he's too young. Ever see a JDC classroom? There is a guard, sometimes two, in the room with every teacher. The kids don't move a muscle. You would think it was an AP class. Amazing that these same juvenile delinquents can actually behave and learn when they're disciplined.

Are you listening, Dad?

 

[buffetoflies]

Yep Trino. He is too young. That's apparently the problem. The family couldn't get any help because you need to be 10 to be arrested. But if they really needed help with his behavior, to the point of maybe being scared of him, they could have taken him to a hospital, and tried to have him admitted for psychological testing or something.

 

[txsvicki]

My questions are, why wasn't the child sent to a hospital for evaluation after this stunt, and with the dad begging for help? Also, I wonder if the kid could be running with older troubled boys.

 

[Trino]

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S3189301.shtml?cat=1

Child Protections Stories:

OMG! This reads like, "I can't find my kid. Oh, well, he'll eventually come home."

 

[jjenny]

My questions are, why wasn't the child sent to a hospital for evaluation after this stunt, and with the dad begging for help? Also, I wonder if the kid could be running with older troubled boys.

They did send him to a hospital when he became aggressive.