Police say that the unnamed man saw the two-year-old child walking alone near a sports complex -- where the child's parents had been attending a baseball game. Trying to be helpful -- and not wanting the toddler to come to any harm -- the Florida man attempted to help the girl find her parents, who were attentively watching a ballgame, instead of noticing that their toddler had wandered away. Authorities say that while multiple independent witnesses noticed the man trying to help the lost child, one witness saw danger. That witness is who alerted the toddler's parents to the fact that their child was in the company of a strange adult man.
When the parents found the child -- and the man who was trying to help her -- they weren't at all grateful. Instead, the father of the once-missing child threw the Florida man to the ground and pummeled him with his fists. Two other family members assisted in the violent beating, and kicked the man while he was down on the ground.
Things didn't end there for the unnamed Florida man. Police say that the good Samaritan was further victimized by the family of the little girl. Police say that the tot's parents posted his photo and other personal information on the internet, smearing him publicly while accusing him of being a child molester and attempted child kidnapper. Because of the actions of the little girl's parents, the man and his wife have been forced to move out of the town of Lakeland, where they are no longer safe.
This is tragic. Police have confirmed that the man was acting out of the kindness of his heart when he saw the child wandering around without any adult supervision. His act of kindness not only resulted in many physical injuries, but the trauma of being maliciously accused of crimes against children by the very people who should have been watching their child, but chose not to. What's truly sad about this is that reports have confirmed that the father of the little girl does not regret what happened. What does this say to any other people who may be compelled to help a lost child?
The behavior of the parents of the little girl in this case is absolutely despicable, but it's fortunate that their child wasn't brought to any harm. If you ask me, the parents were totally lucky this time. Instead of encountering a real-life predator, their wandering toddler met someone who wanted to help her find the safety of her family. If these parents keep letting her wander off like they did in this incident, they may not be this lucky again. That's especially if people in their area don't want to be assaulted for simply trying to help.