A 24-year-old father in Georgia was arrested for allegedly leaving his three children — ages 10, 6, and 1 — unattended at a McDonald’s fast food restaurant for less than two hours while walking to a job interview.
Chris Louis was arrested last week and charged with deprivation of a minor.
However, Louis’ arrest has sparked controversy, with some believing there was no excuse for putting his children in danger, while others — including at least one former NFL star — have sided with the father of three for appearing to be doing his best to provide for his family in difficult circumstances.
The Augusta Press reported that on March 22, authorities responded to the McDonald’s in the 2900 block of Washington Road in Augusta. The restaurant has an indoor playground for children on its grounds.
According to the report, a witness called authorities after seeing Louis leave his children alone and leave the establishment around 4:30 p.m. He allegedly abandoned the children, returned, and then left again.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they reportedly found the children unharmed. They waited until 6:18 p.m., when Louis returned to the McDonald’s.
When questioned by police, Louis allegedly stated that he and his children walked from his nearby apartment to the restaurant before his job interview.
Louis, who did not have a car and did not want to make his children walk back home so he could attend the interview, allegedly left them unattended in the playground area and walked to the interview.
The children were picked up by their mother, and Louis was arrested and booked at the Richmond County Jail. He has since been released, according to online records.
The story of Louis’ arrest spread quickly, eventually reaching former Pittsburgh Steelers superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown, who decided to create a GoFundMe page for Louis.
“The story took me by surprise. Brown wrote on the fundraising page, “I’m just a dad looking for a way to support his family.” “I understand he shouldn’t just abandon his children, but some people don’t have the means to babysit, etc.
This GoFundMe page has been set up to help this man. I spoke with GoFundMe, and they will send the funds to Chris and his family. I have not spoken with Chris yet, but I hope to do so soon.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the page, titled “Pursuit of Happiness,” had raised more than $46,000 from over 1,400 donors, including a $1,000 contribution from Brown.
