I wouldn’t want to be a parent raising a kid in Florida this week.
The Sunshine State is taking a beating when it comes to negligent parenting.
Days after Casey Anthony is set free despite most of the nation labeling her as a baby killer, and months after a Tampa-area mom is charged with murdering her two teenage kids for allegedly being “mouthy,” comes news about a Pasco County mom robbing a bank with her toddler in tow.
According to law enforcement officials, 24-year-old Cherilyn Jannette Lopez held up a bank while schlepping her 3-year-old son, so she could gather cash to fund her drug addiction.
Can you say “parenting fail”?
The alleged pill popping mama reportedly committed the crime in the middle of the day like it was something parents do all the time.
According to sheriff’s deputies, Lopez initially pulled up to the bank in her minivan and left it running with her young son in his car seat while she got out to hold-up tellers. However, before the mom could complete her mission, her son climbed out of the van and walked up to the door of the bank. Upon seeing her son, Lopez reportedly took him by the hand and brought him inside, then proceeded to rob the bank.
But, that’s not the end of the story. Officers say after Lopez collected the stolen money she drove her son to a nearby daycare, dropped him off, and then continued down the highway to spend her hot cash on prescription pills. Fortunately, an eyewitness was able to help police track down the mom before she could get to her precious pills.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco told local news reporters that while he is pleased with the quick arrest, he is still appalled by the mother’s actions.
“It goes back to prescription pills,” Nocco told a local TV station. “It goes back to these addicts. They don’t care about anybody but themselves. It’s clear in this case this woman didn’t care about nobody. She didn’t care about that 3-year-old she was supposed to be taking care of. She goes out there to commit a robbery just because of her own addiction.”
Nocco went on to say that a mother who commits a robbery with her child at her side is setting a horrible example, and he plans to set his own example by keeping Lopez behind bars for as long as possible.
In the meantime, Lopez’s son is reportedly being placed with other family members.
On a scale from one to 10, how do you rate Lopez’s parental fail?