Tosheba Hope and Gerald Moultrie are in a group from which it’s hard to set oneself apart. Unfortunately, many are the stories of shoplifting parents who, not having money for a sitter either, choose to bring the little ones along. But unlike many, they at least had the decency to not scar the tikes for life by dragging them inside so they could watch mom and dad make failures of themselves or worse yet, participate in the process. And so, in the car they stayed.
Around 7 PM, Hope and Moultrie were detained after they allegedly sought to walk out of the retailer with $660 worth of tools and automotive accessories, according to a police report. The couple was subsequently arrested by Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies and charged with grand theft, a felony.
The couple were booked and held at the local jail, and that was the end of tha…Oh. Right. You’re probably wondering what happened to the kids. I almost forgot. Almost, which puts me a step ahead of Gerald and Tosheba here.
After Hope and Moultrie were booked into the county jail, seven hours passed before investigators learned that their three children had been abandoned in the parking lot (Walmart workers spotted the minors and called 911).
Deputies located the minors around 2 AM and turned them over to child welfare officials.
While it hadn’t been made official at the time of the report, that’s probably gonna be good for some child neglect charges.
