Taylor
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I know there is already a related thread but I did not want to take away from that. This thread is EXTREMELY long but I ask that you read it completely if you have children, work with children, or have the slightest care in the world for children.
Tonight, I decide I'm going to go to our local mall to grab something to eat with a friend of mine. We go and get our food and we sit in an open area in the mall where kids will often play. Tonight, there were 20 or so kids throwing balls and running around...kids having a good time. We start eating and watching what is going on around us. Now, this mall is OUTSIDE of my jurisdiction and I make it a point to not get involved in things if I do not have to when I am off-duty...even though I always carry my gun. I'm in plain clothes just having a meal with a friend.
I see this guy that is kind of creepy looking but I do not make character judgments on looks alone....something just seems out of place and I'm trying to determine if I know this guy from somewhere.
I watch this guy walk into the center of the area carrying a plastic bag. He stops and sets his bag down and starts looking around. He picks up 3 balls that are on the ground and he starts juggling...and all the kids come up running excited to see somebody juggle. After a few minutes, most of the kids lose interest and wander off except for one girl...and he starts teaching her how to juggle. The girl is having a good time and her Mom and Grandmother sitting nearby don't seem to mind....but the hairs on my neck are standing up so I keep watching. I have a gut feeling something is about to happen so I take out my camera phone and snap a few pictures (you'll later see why this was important).
As he's teaching the girl to juggle, I notice strange body language coming from him. I can't describe what I'm seeing but something is not right. My friend says she notices it too but is not sure if the guy is doing something wrong...so I keep watching. He's getting close to her on occasion and then backing away. At one point, he is showing her how to juggle 2 balls (to help her get started) and he places the third ball between his legs, holding it there. After they juggle the 2 balls for a few minutes, he says something to her. The girl then reaches out and grabs the ball between his legs....and I'm about to jump up and do something...my friend stops me saying he technically has not done anything wrong yet....so...keep watching.
I notice after a few minutes the girl starts to lose interest...and he's becoming more animated in his movements. He starts pointing over his shoulder and from what I can tell he's trying to get her to go somewhere. I then notice (and I'm not gay....but there are some things that stand out)..this guy has a huge erection....and she is starting to walk away with him.
So, I jump up and go over. I ask him what the hell he is doing (a little more politely as I am acting on a hunch..and it could be me that is wrong). He says this is his niece and to butt out. Now, I saw this girl playing for awhile and this man did not come from her table where Mom and Grandmom were sitting. He says "Honey...do you know this man?" pointing at me and the girl says 'No'. So now I'm the stranger to this girl and he is her friend. I finally recognized the man as somebody I saw posted on our local sex offender registry as a sexual predator. I tell the girl 'Silly lady...I'm a friend of your mommie's!" and I point over to Mom and Grandmom (yes...maybe not the right thing to say to her but its all I had at the moment). I then pull out my badge and tell him I know who he is and that he is forbidden to be in contact with little kids. I grab his arm and pull his arms around his back and a security officer who knows me comes over to help and puts the guy in cuffs.
I then take the little girl over to her Mom and she says 'What was that all about'. I say 'Do you know that guy?' She says 'No...but he was just showing her how to juggle and I don't know why you jumped on him like that.' I explain that he was in the process of luring her child away. I now want to yell at this lady and ask her How did you not see any of that going on. She is absolutely clueless. The cops show up and I explain..the guy denies all of it. I show the few pics I have and it was enough for the officers to pull the security video (which is clear as day BTW)...and they haul the guy off.
This guy had all the clues of a sexual predator and I'm a little troubled that I'm the only one who picked up on it (one guy playing with this kids told me later that he thought it was 'odd' but wasn't sure what was happening until I got involved).
'Innocent Playing'
Placing ball between his legs
She is innocently thinking she is learning to juggle and drops a ball:
She is starting to lose interest and he starts pleading a bit. This is where I notice the erection and him pushing his hips towards her.
This is him trying to lure her away (I later learn from her he's inviting her to the toy store). This is when I get up and haul ass over there.
I never want to tell anyone how to raise their kids....its none of my business. I don't do it on the job and I don't do it in my personal life...what you teach your kids is up to you.....but this entire incident shows just how easy it was for this guy to walk off with a little girl. What if my friend and I had decided to eat in the food court instead of where the kids play? How did this woman not know, nor observe, that this guy was walking off with her kid. Mom and Grandma were still sitting on their butts eating ice cream when I walked up to them (this is after I confronted the guy when he was leaving with her) They were CLUELESS to everything that was taking place...and I'm not sure what pisses me off more...the guy doing this or their inability to watch their kids. Mom and Grandmom were facing their direction and watching this whole thing without a clue.....grrrrrrr
The final picture is the first one all over again, however, I have circled Mom and Grandma to show you just how close they were watching and still thought everything was 'OK' with the girl and the 'stranger'. Mom later admitted that her and Grandmom were deeply involved in a conversation and did not notice the guy walking off with her (and still had not known it had taken place until they were shown the security video). It would have been one of those 'I just turned my back for a second....' tragedies.
Tonight, I decide I'm going to go to our local mall to grab something to eat with a friend of mine. We go and get our food and we sit in an open area in the mall where kids will often play. Tonight, there were 20 or so kids throwing balls and running around...kids having a good time. We start eating and watching what is going on around us. Now, this mall is OUTSIDE of my jurisdiction and I make it a point to not get involved in things if I do not have to when I am off-duty...even though I always carry my gun. I'm in plain clothes just having a meal with a friend.
I see this guy that is kind of creepy looking but I do not make character judgments on looks alone....something just seems out of place and I'm trying to determine if I know this guy from somewhere.
I watch this guy walk into the center of the area carrying a plastic bag. He stops and sets his bag down and starts looking around. He picks up 3 balls that are on the ground and he starts juggling...and all the kids come up running excited to see somebody juggle. After a few minutes, most of the kids lose interest and wander off except for one girl...and he starts teaching her how to juggle. The girl is having a good time and her Mom and Grandmother sitting nearby don't seem to mind....but the hairs on my neck are standing up so I keep watching. I have a gut feeling something is about to happen so I take out my camera phone and snap a few pictures (you'll later see why this was important).
As he's teaching the girl to juggle, I notice strange body language coming from him. I can't describe what I'm seeing but something is not right. My friend says she notices it too but is not sure if the guy is doing something wrong...so I keep watching. He's getting close to her on occasion and then backing away. At one point, he is showing her how to juggle 2 balls (to help her get started) and he places the third ball between his legs, holding it there. After they juggle the 2 balls for a few minutes, he says something to her. The girl then reaches out and grabs the ball between his legs....and I'm about to jump up and do something...my friend stops me saying he technically has not done anything wrong yet....so...keep watching.
I notice after a few minutes the girl starts to lose interest...and he's becoming more animated in his movements. He starts pointing over his shoulder and from what I can tell he's trying to get her to go somewhere. I then notice (and I'm not gay....but there are some things that stand out)..this guy has a huge erection....and she is starting to walk away with him.
So, I jump up and go over. I ask him what the hell he is doing (a little more politely as I am acting on a hunch..and it could be me that is wrong). He says this is his niece and to butt out. Now, I saw this girl playing for awhile and this man did not come from her table where Mom and Grandmom were sitting. He says "Honey...do you know this man?" pointing at me and the girl says 'No'. So now I'm the stranger to this girl and he is her friend. I finally recognized the man as somebody I saw posted on our local sex offender registry as a sexual predator. I tell the girl 'Silly lady...I'm a friend of your mommie's!" and I point over to Mom and Grandmom (yes...maybe not the right thing to say to her but its all I had at the moment). I then pull out my badge and tell him I know who he is and that he is forbidden to be in contact with little kids. I grab his arm and pull his arms around his back and a security officer who knows me comes over to help and puts the guy in cuffs.
I then take the little girl over to her Mom and she says 'What was that all about'. I say 'Do you know that guy?' She says 'No...but he was just showing her how to juggle and I don't know why you jumped on him like that.' I explain that he was in the process of luring her child away. I now want to yell at this lady and ask her How did you not see any of that going on. She is absolutely clueless. The cops show up and I explain..the guy denies all of it. I show the few pics I have and it was enough for the officers to pull the security video (which is clear as day BTW)...and they haul the guy off.
This guy had all the clues of a sexual predator and I'm a little troubled that I'm the only one who picked up on it (one guy playing with this kids told me later that he thought it was 'odd' but wasn't sure what was happening until I got involved).
'Innocent Playing'
Placing ball between his legs
She is innocently thinking she is learning to juggle and drops a ball:
She is starting to lose interest and he starts pleading a bit. This is where I notice the erection and him pushing his hips towards her.
This is him trying to lure her away (I later learn from her he's inviting her to the toy store). This is when I get up and haul ass over there.
I never want to tell anyone how to raise their kids....its none of my business. I don't do it on the job and I don't do it in my personal life...what you teach your kids is up to you.....but this entire incident shows just how easy it was for this guy to walk off with a little girl. What if my friend and I had decided to eat in the food court instead of where the kids play? How did this woman not know, nor observe, that this guy was walking off with her kid. Mom and Grandma were still sitting on their butts eating ice cream when I walked up to them (this is after I confronted the guy when he was leaving with her) They were CLUELESS to everything that was taking place...and I'm not sure what pisses me off more...the guy doing this or their inability to watch their kids. Mom and Grandmom were facing their direction and watching this whole thing without a clue.....grrrrrrr
The final picture is the first one all over again, however, I have circled Mom and Grandma to show you just how close they were watching and still thought everything was 'OK' with the girl and the 'stranger'. Mom later admitted that her and Grandmom were deeply involved in a conversation and did not notice the guy walking off with her (and still had not known it had taken place until they were shown the security video). It would have been one of those 'I just turned my back for a second....' tragedies.
