They Lost Their Son in a Freak Accident—Now
They Might Lose Their Freedom Too
Townhall,
by
Jeff Charles
Original Article
Posted By: ladydawgfan,
6/7/2025 5:29:39 PM
Two parents are facing charges after their seven-year-old son was fatally struck by a vehicle while walking home with his brother in Gastonia, North Carolina.
The Gastonia Police Department announced in a press release that it had filed criminal charges against Samuele Jenkins and Jessica Ivey for allowing their children to walk two blocks to the store. The parents are facing charges of Felony Involuntary Manslaughter, Felony Child Neglect, and Misdemeanor Child Neglect.
“On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at approximately 5:55 p.m., officers responded to a reported traffic collision in the 1000 block of West Hudson Boulevard,” the press release said.
Post Reply
Reminder: “WE ARE A SALON AND NOT A SALOON”
Your thoughts, comments, and ideas are always welcome here. But we ask you to please be mindful and respectful. Threatening or crude language doesn't persuade anybody and makes the conversation less enjoyable for fellow L.Dotters.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
daisey 6/7/2025 5:48:33 PM (No. 1961244)
I know lots of people will roll their eyes, but a lot more will remember. I’m almost 80, and I walked to school everyday in York, PA, starting in first grade. It was 1950 and most of us walked. Rain, snow,
sunshine. We had book bags, pencil boxes and our own umbrellas. This is an outrage. These parents should not be punished for their children walking 2 blocks from home. Ridiculous.
48 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
marbles 6/7/2025 6:06:57 PM (No. 1961248)
# 1 . The overreach of govt. I too walked .
42 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Vaquero45 6/7/2025 6:07:07 PM (No. 1961249)
The judge should dismiss these charges at the preliminary hearing. Then, the parents should sue the police department. This is outrageous.
36 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
chance_232 6/7/2025 6:14:13 PM (No. 1961252)
I walked to school. I walked to the grocery store. On weekends and summer vacation, I left the house in the morning and came home for dinner. From grade school thru high school, I often slept outside, with no adult supervision, all summer.
Who knew that I was raised by nazis.
31 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Mcscow sailor 6/7/2025 6:15:12 PM (No. 1961253)
I walked 1/2 mile each way in kindergarten
28 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
BarryNo 6/7/2025 6:15:15 PM (No. 1961254)
It used to be, the Driver was responsible for who he hit.
I have to admit letting a seven year old walk to the store without an adult is pretty negligent.
I'm in my late 60s. Today's world doesn't compare with the world I grew up in. It's far more dangerous.
6 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Paperpuncher 6/7/2025 6:19:03 PM (No. 1961257)
I am withe you #1. I think your are ahead of me a few years. At seven years old in 1958 I was walking every where. If we needed groceries I would walk a of block up the street and turn left walking two more blocks along a state highway. Never had a problem. We (as in other kids at the time) roamed the neighborhood at will. The only order was get home be for dinner or the early darkness. School was not at walking distance unless you wanted to walk 5 to 10 miles. We had one bus stop up on the highway. In the winter there would be 5 or 6 very cold kids waiting for the bus.
What is wrong with this today? Personally I don’t want to walk any distance with out packing heat. I think the human race is on track for extinction. Amen
16 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
tootall 6/7/2025 7:01:20 PM (No. 1961271)
This is ridiculous!
When I was a kid (7 yo) I took a trip on the LIRR with a few buddies from RVC to Manhattan and walked from Penn Station to Times Square to buy hats.
It's a different world today, but two blocks to the store! Haven't these parents suffered enough!
16 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
caljeepgirl 6/7/2025 7:18:44 PM (No. 1961276)
As a mother of two boys once exactly the same ages, I find just reading this article absolutely agonizing! Terrible, terrible situation. I can only add one comment....I wonder how much of a distraction was created by that cellphone the 10-year old was carrying and talking on. None of us was carrying cellphones around at those ages.
10 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 6/7/2025 7:49:17 PM (No. 1961294)
I walked from school about a mile and a half, stopped at a little grocery store to get a fried apple pie (10 cents to let you know how long ago that was) then another few blocks home. Things are different now...more traffic, more predators etc. It was a different time and in a small town in the South. I would not let my kids do it now. That said, I think it's outrageous that these parents are being charged while deeply grieving their loss. Maybe there is more to the story and maybe some sordid stories about the parents but it looks like terrible overreach at the moment.
8 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Venturer 6/7/2025 7:59:28 PM (No. 1961299)
We lived on a farm. I went out in the morning and came back to lunch when my mother rang the big bell mounted outside.
She had no idea where I was . Not that she didn't care, it's just the way kids used to be raised.
I remember collecting pop bottles along the highway and returning them to the store for 2 cents apiece.
I ordered a knife from Sear Roebuck, A real knife with a scabbard. When my mother saw it she made my Father break the point off of it. Something I never forgot.
3 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
preciosodrogas 6/7/2025 8:19:57 PM (No. 1961309)
Okay, then, as a protective measure, they need to round up nearly all the children in certain areas of the cities all across the country. Those kids are playing in the streets all day long. They know the local dealers. They know it and see and walk past it. They know how to survive. This was an accident, # 9 made an excellent point, not a crime. The parents weren't going anywhere, did they really need to do this now?
6 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
DVC 6/8/2025 1:35:57 AM (No. 1961392)
Evil being done by the state of NC. Pure, evil.
5 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
NYbob 6/8/2025 1:58:45 AM (No. 1961397)
75 year old woman driving a Jeep. Too much vehicle, too little driver. Lots of people out there who have no idea of how to anticipate traffic problems and how to control their vehicle. Full Self Driving can't come soon enough for drivers whose reaction time or situational awareness is pathetic.
3 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
5 handicap 6/8/2025 6:31:00 AM (No. 1961442)
The only person who should be in Jail is the God Damned Judge who set bail at 1,500,000. Or maybe just burn down his house some morning about 0330!
2 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
homefry 6/8/2025 6:42:44 AM (No. 1961446)
Well, I disagree with the crowd here. That boy should not have been allowed to walk 2 blocks without an adult. I walked all over the country when I was a child but this is a whole different world now.
1 person likes this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
mifla 6/8/2025 9:14:27 AM (No. 1961533)
Children do things they are not supposed to do all the time.
Should we lock them all up in their rooms until they are legal adults?
This was an accident, not a crime.
2 people like this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "ladydawgfan"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Comments:
This is an outrage!! Someone needs to set up a Go Fund Me or Give Send Go for their legal defense. They should NOT have to rely on public defenders for this! And the charges ought to be dropped IMMEDIATELY!!