A Georgia father of three was arrested for leaving his young children unattended at a McDonald’s to go to a nearby interview.
Chris Louis, 24, allegedly walked with his three kids from his apartment to the restaurant in Augusta just before 4:30 p.m. March 22, according to the Augusta Press.
The youngsters — ages 1, 6 and 10 — spent their time alone in the restaurant, which has an indoor play area attached to the dining room.
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Louis was seen leaving the fast food joint, returning shortly after to check on his kids before leaving again, a worried customer told police, the outlet reported.
Richmond County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the restaurant and located the unharmed, unaccompanied minors, who remained inside the store until their father returned.
Louis returned to the McDonald’s just before 6:20 p.m., where police confronted him for leaving his children alone in public.
Louis, who doesn’t own a car, told police he left his children behind because he didn’t want them to walk back to his home as he went to the interview, the outlet reported.
Police waited inside with Louis until the children’s mom arrived to take her kids home.
Louis was arrested and charged with deprivation of a minor.
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The news of Louis’ arrest got the attention of former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.
“Story caught me by surprise. A dad just trying to find a way to make money for his family. I know he shouldn’t just leave his kids, but some people don’t have the means for babysitting, etc,” Brown wrote on GoFundMe.
Brown says he hasn’t spoken to Louis yet but has hopes to talk with the father.
The 36-year-old claims said set up the fundraiser with the help of GoFundMe to ensure the money would go directly to Louis.
“Chris was on the Pursuit of Happiness & sometimes ppl just need help,” Brown wrote on X.
The father of six has donated $1,000 himself.
The fundraiser created late Tuesday has raised over $28,000 of the $50,000 goal in the first five hours.
The arrest divided the internet on Louis’ situation.
“You simply can’t leave your kids like that and I get how this happened. But there are plenty of questions,” one X user commented.
“Yeah, it’s a little iffy on the 1yr old, but dude was trying to get a job. Give him a break,” a second user said.
“I know it’s a desperate situation and brother made a mistake but an understandable one. All he could think about was the hope of a job,” a fourth added.
“Dude was literally doing the best he could with what he has. I commend him for that, it’s not easy,” another comment said.
