• 04-16-2008, 05:52 AM
    ForeverAutumn
    This article really pisses me off!
    Dallas tow truck driver takes car with sleeping seven-year-old inside

    DALLAS - Police says a Dallas tow truck driver unknowingly hauled away a car with a seven-year-old asleep inside before returning the vehicle minutes later and speeding away.

    The panicked parents of the missing boy watched the driver hurriedly unhook their car and take off as they met with authorities late Monday.

    Twenty-three-year-old Fidel Retana Jr. was pulled over a short time later and arrested on child endangerment charges.

    But police expect to drop the charges. Dallas police Sgt. Brenda Nichols says "it appeared that he did not intend to take the child."

    Retana's lawyer, David Traylor, says his client noticed the boy only when he stopped to ensure that the car was hooked up properly. The car had been parked in a fire lane while the boy's mother ran upstairs to her apartment.

    Traylor said Retana left the second time in a hurry because he knew the parents were there and were probably angry.

    "He tried to do everything he could to get the kid back quickly," Traylor said.

    Authorities said the boy's mother was crying and vomiting outside when they arrived. The boy was still asleep when the car was returned.

    "I hate the way towing people run the business," said Sergio Zuniga, the boy's father.


    Um, HELLO!!!! Does no-one care that this woman left her 7-yr-old alone on the street in a car????? Why isn't she being charged with negligence? If this had happened where I live Mom would be the one in trouble, not the tow-truck driver who was only doing his job.

    This is ass-backwards, IMO.
  • 04-16-2008, 06:31 AM
    Rich-n-Texas
    This was on the local news last night. The car was parked in a fire lane at the apartment complex where the woman and child live. This doesn't even come close to what I see on the news with similar stories. Reports where people leave their child in the car... in 100 degree heat (130 in the car)... at a day-care center...and the child dies, are not uncommon.
  • 04-16-2008, 06:51 AM
    bobsticks
    Amen
    I was wondering as I was reading if I was the only one that picked up on that. Like the tow-truck driver was hovering around the complex just waiting...I wonder what the timeframe was between when she went upstairs and discovered the "missing child".

    Mamacita <hysterics> YOU TOOK MY CHILD!!! aahhh, wwwaaaahhh, all I did was go upstairs, shower, put a roast in the oven, filed my taxes, cleaned the bathroom, did a load of laundry, talked on the phone, watched "Blood In, Blood Out" on A&E, put cut flowers in a vase, read newspaper and Googled "Pelosi", had an affair with the neighbor, painted the chair rail. ate some Twinkies...I..was...only...gone...five...minutes.. .bbblllaaahhhhhh

    Officer Sticks: Raises pimp hand and *****slaps both bad parents.
  • 04-16-2008, 07:26 AM
    Rich-n-Texas
    Ummm, towing companies down here are like snakes waiting to strike. Wouldn't surprise me at all if the tow truck driver was cruising around the complex waiting for his next meal ticket.

    No, it wasn't a "Mamacita", it was a black woman. "Both parents"? No, only the mother.
  • 04-16-2008, 08:28 AM
    Sir Terrence the Terrible
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bobsticks
    I was wondering as I was reading if I was the only one that picked up on that. Like the tow-truck driver was hovering around the complex just waiting...I wonder what the timeframe was between when she went upstairs and discovered the "missing child".

    Mamacita <hysterics> YOU TOOK MY CHILD!!! aahhh, wwwaaaahhh, all I did was go upstairs, shower, put a roast in the oven, filed my taxes, cleaned the bathroom, did a load of laundry, talked on the phone, watched "Blood In, Blood Out" on A&E, put cut flowers in a vase, read newspaper and Googled "Pelosi", had an affair with the neighbor, painted the chair rail. ate some Twinkies...I..was...only...gone...five...minutes.. .bbblllaaahhhhhh

    Officer Sticks: Raises pimp hand and *****slaps both bad parents.

    LOL, sticks. You have the right idea, but the wrong flava. We cuban/rican mutts do it with just a little more attitude than this. We go "Usted perra tonto, no sabes que no deben dejar sin vigilancia los bebés en los automóviles". Roughly translated to "You silly *****, don't you know you are not supposed to leave babies in cars unattended". We say this while slapping the burrito loving crap out of her.
  • 04-16-2008, 08:33 AM
    Sir Terrence the Terrible
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Ummm, towing companies down here are like snakes waiting to strike. Wouldn't surprise me at all if the tow truck driver was cruising around the complex waiting for his next meal ticket.

    No, it wasn't a "Mamacita", it was a black woman. "Both parents"? No, only the mother.

    No mamacita? A sista should know better than this.

    About two months ago we had a case in the Bay Area where a mother out of anger threw her child into the microwave oven. They had to put her in jail because somebody would have killed her otherwise. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody in jail killed her.
  • 04-16-2008, 09:12 AM
    ForeverAutumn
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Ummm, towing companies down here are like snakes waiting to strike. Wouldn't surprise me at all if the tow truck driver was cruising around the complex waiting for his next meal ticket.

    So what?

    First and foremost, the child shouldn't have been left alone. Wake the kid up and take him upstairs with you. The parents are damn lucky that it was only a tow-truck driver who drove off with the kid and not some sicko with less innocent intentions.

    Secondly, the car shouldn't have been in a fire lane.

    The parents are getting off scott free on two accounts. Because they left the child in the car, the car was returned instead of being towed. So they don't have to pay the fine for illegal parking and getting their car back from impound. And, it appears that they are also getting away with child negligence.

    Hey everyone, leave your kids alone in the car. Not only will no-one care about the safety of your child, but we'll let you park illegally too!!!

    Nice message.
  • 04-16-2008, 09:14 AM
    GMichael
    Did the woman get any tickets? Fines? Anything? Why the he!! would she leave her child alone like that?

    BAD MOMMY!
  • 04-16-2008, 09:31 AM
    bobsticks
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Sir Terrence the Terrible
    No mamacita? A sista should know better than this.

    About two months ago we had a case in the Bay Area where a mother out of anger threw her child into the microwave oven. They had to put her in jail because somebody would have killed her otherwise. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody in jail killed her.

    Everybody should know better than this.

    I like your style T. There's a fairly big Hispanic/Latino-American community here but, being first generation, alot of the traditional language barriers apply. I would imagine as years go by there'll be a upswing in integration. In any case, I gotta learn me some of them phrases.

    Hey RD, I threw in the father because they quoted him. It's always someone else's fault, isn't it?
  • 04-16-2008, 10:03 AM
    Rich-n-Texas
    Get real FA. You're living in a dream world. My POINT is, this is NOTHING compared to what goes on here. Nobody died right?
  • 04-16-2008, 10:04 AM
    Rich-n-Texas
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by GMichael
    Did the woman get any tickets? Fines? Anything? Why the he!! would she leave her child alone like that?

    BAD MOMMY!

    Because it was a beautiful day. Temps in the low 70's...

    :rolleyes:
  • 04-16-2008, 10:19 AM
    bobsticks
    Well, we know why you're single.
  • 04-16-2008, 10:20 AM
    Rich-n-Texas
    Got nothing to do with it sticks. It's called... R-E-A-L-I-T-Y.
  • 04-16-2008, 10:36 AM
    GMichael
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Because it was a beautiful day. Temps in the low 70's...

    :rolleyes:

    Glad you weren't my mommy.
  • 04-16-2008, 10:40 AM
    Rich-n-Texas
    Yeah, I gotta work on these man-boobs.
  • 04-16-2008, 11:12 AM
    ForeverAutumn
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Get real FA. You're living in a dream world. My POINT is, this is NOTHING compared to what goes on here. Nobody died right?

    Are you serious? Do you really think that there's nothing wrong with this?
  • 04-16-2008, 02:25 PM
    Rich-n-Texas
    Quick update!
    Charges against the tow truck driver were dropped today. That's because the towing outfits have friends inside City Hall. This situation has been a shanker on the city's genitals for more than a few years now. No word on whether or not charges will be filed against the mother as far as I could tell.
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
    Are you serious? Do you really think that there's nothing wrong with this?

    Where did I say I didn't think there was anything wrong with this FA? Have you not spent any time in Big City USA? You're missing my point as well as my synicism.
  • 04-16-2008, 04:09 PM
    ForeverAutumn
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Where did I say I didn't think there was anything wrong with this FA?

    Where did you say that you did think there was something wrong with this Rich?

    Instead, you appeared to be agreeing that the tow truck driver should be charged because tow truck drivers are, apparently, leeches in your part of the world. And you stated that I was not living in reality because I believe that the parents were getting away with two crimes that they should have been charged for.

    You also seemed to be implying that this wasn't a big deal because nobody died.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Have you not spent any time in Big City USA? You're missing my point as well as my synicism.

    Thankfully, NO. But I do live in Big City Canada, where children are protected from stupid, negligent parents who leave their children unattended while they break the law and then place the blame on someone else.

    What exactly was your point? And please show me where you made it.
  • 04-16-2008, 05:10 PM
    Rich-n-Texas
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
    Where did you say that you did think there was something wrong with this Rich?

    Why do you feel the need to throw the ball back at me before answering my question?

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by FA
    Instead, you appeared to be agreeing that the tow truck driver should be charged because tow truck drivers are, apparently, leeches...

    Agreeing? With who? Just stating the facts.
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by FA
    ...in your part of the world.

    What's that supposed to mean? Sounds condesending to me.
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by FA
    And you stated that I was not living in reality because I believe that the parents were getting away with two crimes that they should have been charged for.

    No I didn't. I suggested that you're not living in reality because you think this is such a bad thing to happen to a child. IT AIN'T NOTHIN HON. How 'bout this:

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by WFAA TV
    DALLAS — Two 13-year-old girls are caught in a web of prostitution. The outrage starts with the girls' families, but it doesn't stop there.
    Police say one of the 13-year-olds was stripping and selling her body for money at a Dallas club after being invited there by a friend at her school who is also 13.
    The grandmother of one of the girls told News 8 she can't believe what she's hearing. She said her granddaughter is an outgoing, good student and a member of her middle school dance team.
    "She's not hard up for money," the grandmother said. "She gets whatever she wants."
    The grandmother said the girl who led her granddaughter to the club was misleading. "I think she had her thinking she was going to a teenage club or something."
    But police say the woman's granddaughter was being prostituted by that "friend."

    (Mis-print. The girl was actually 12 years old.)

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by WFAA TV
    FORT WORTH - Marijuana was found in the system of a ten-month-old girl that was taken to a Fort Worth hospital Tuesday night, said Child Protective Services Wednesday.
    Police said the baby's parents took her to the hospital because she seemed lethargic.
    At this point, authorities said they do not have enough evidence to charge anyone with a crime.
    A CPS spokesperson said the baby has not been taken into protective custody.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dallas Morning News
    An infant and a 1-year-old were left alone in a car Wednesday morning when their mother went to get gas, Fort Worth police said.

    Latesha Cummings, 20, of Fort Worth, left her children in the car around 8 a.m. when she ran out of gas in the 1400 block of Bridgewood Drive, police said.
    Witnesses called police who arrived to find the 1-month old strapped in a car seat and the toddler standing on the front seat playing with the steering wheel, Fort Worth police Lt. Paul Henderson said.
    “She returned 15 minutes later with a container of gas,” he said. “We called Child Protective Services and they interviewed the woman and provided an additional car seat for the 1-year-old.”
    CPS was still investigating the matter but police do not expect to file any charges, Lt. Henderson said.

    This is my point FA.
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    Quote:

    Originally Posted by FA
    You also seemed to be implying that this wasn't a big deal because nobody died.

    Mis-judgement on your part.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by FA
    Thankfully, NO.

    Well, that speaks volumes about you FA.
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by FA
    But I do live in Big City Canada, where children are protected from stupid, negligent parents who leave their children unattended while they break the law and then place the blame on someone else.

    So what you're saying is things like this don't happen in your part of the world. There are no stupid negligent parents in Canada? Yeah, okay.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by FA
    What exactly was your point? And please show me where you made it.

    You already made it.

    You seem to have this nack for cut-n-pasting news articles about all that's wrong here in my country. Nothing like what I posted above happens up there in the pure Great White North?

    Tell me something FA, are you a minority in your country or an elitest? Are you of French desent?

    Not to worry though. Soon, Hillary will be president and everything will work out. :rolleyes:
  • 04-16-2008, 07:01 PM
    ForeverAutumn
    Forgive me, but I'm still missing your point. Is your point that the parents aren't at fault because nothing bad happened to the child? That relatively speaking, this isn't a bad situation and that there should not be consequences for the parents?
  • 04-16-2008, 07:19 PM
    JohnMichael
    I would have liked to parent a child and when I see people treat them like they are throw away I get very upset.
  • 04-17-2008, 02:33 AM
    Feanor
    I'm with you, FA
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
    So what?

    First and foremost, the child shouldn't have been left alone. Wake the kid up and take him upstairs with you. The parents are damn lucky that it was only a tow-truck driver who drove off with the kid and not some sicko with less innocent intentions.

    Secondly, the car shouldn't have been in a fire lane.

    The parents are getting off scott free on two accounts. Because they left the child in the car, the car was returned instead of being towed. So they don't have to pay the fine for illegal parking and getting their car back from impound. And, it appears that they are also getting away with child negligence.

    Hey everyone, leave your kids alone in the car. Not only will no-one care about the safety of your child, but we'll let you park illegally too!!!

    Nice message.

    The main fault is with the mother. The tow guy should have been more careful, but under various conditions it would be easy to overlook a kid sleeping in the back seat.

    This is about the "I'll only be a minute or two" syndrome. I see it on a daily basis where people park in no-parking locations often blocking traffic, not to mention able-bodied people parking in handicapped spots. I've seen kids left in cars often too, and very often poor dogs left in cars in the sun with all windows rolled up.
  • 04-17-2008, 05:20 AM
    Rich-n-Texas
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
    Forgive me, but I'm still missing your point. Is your point that the parents aren't at fault because nothing bad happened to the child? That relatively speaking, this isn't a bad situation and that there should not be consequences for the parents?

    Okay, I'll address this as if I'm standing in YOUR perfect little world...

    The mother is at fault, no question about it. The tow truck driver is at fault because he's scum. He was charged with child endangerment, but then the charges were dropped. The corrupt city council is at fault because they're... corrupt.

    Apparently though you can't read between the lines within my train of thought. I posted three articles, each one showing daily events that are much worse than this. If the tow truck driver hadn't come along and made his blunder, it wouldn't have made the news. Thus, you wouldn't have anything to b!tch about regarding the atrosities you read about here in the US in the liberal media.

    I said the tow truck driver was probably lurking and you instantly attacked my response. "The car shouldn't have been in a fire lane." Again, maybe not in your perfect little world, but I'm SURE it happens in Canada doesn't it? You're righteousness is ill-placed.

    Now, let's get back to my questions...
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rich
    Where did I say I didn't think there was anything wrong with this FA?

    Can you answer this yet?

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rich
    So what you're saying is things like this don't happen in your part of the world. There are no stupid negligent parents in Canada?

    My guess would be that there are plenty of stupid parents in this world to go around. Do you agree? I wonder what your attitude would be in regards to my opinions if you had kids. And would you get this indignant if you read an article like this where it happened in France instead of the US?
  • 04-17-2008, 05:47 AM
    ForeverAutumn
    Wow! I'm not even sure where to begin responding to that.

    So I don't think that I will.
  • 04-17-2008, 05:53 AM
    Rich-n-Texas
    Really? Cop out? What's your point?