Crime Parents are charged after their son, 7, is struck dead in a car accident - The 76-year-old driver will not face any charges.

The Gastonia Police Department in Gastonia, N.C.
Gastonia Police Department

The grieving parents of a 7-year-old child who died hours after being hit by a car were charged with involuntary manslaughter after allowing him and his brother, 10, to walk home unaccompanied by an adult from a nearby grocery store.

Jessica Ivey and Samuele Jenkins were charged two days after their son Legend died from injuries caused by being struck by a Jeep on May 27 in Gastonia, a rural town in North Carolina. The 76-year-old driver will not face any charges.


Legend Jenkins
via Facebook

The Food Lion store is two blocks away from their home. The parents said the children were with their mother when they asked to meet their father at the store, and she allowed them to leave, according to The Gaston Gazette. The brothers had to cross the busy, four-lane road, but attempted to go between crosswalks.

Witnesses told WSOC-TV of Charlotte that Legend stepped into traffic as his older brother attempted to hold him back.

Jenkins said he was on the phone with his elder son when the younger child was hit.

“I heard my oldest son yell, ‘Legend, no!’ so I hung up and ran. I just ran to find them,” he told the local television station.

Two days later, Gastonia police arrested the parents, who are being held on $1.5 million bond.

“In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children,” police said in a statement.

Gastonia police declined to comment to NBC News, but said in a statement that “there is no evidence of speeding or wrongdoing on the part of the driver, therefore no charges have been filed. The driver continues to be cooperative and the incident remains under active investigation by the Gastonia Police Department’s Traffic Division.”

The parents’ public defenders did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Ivey, the mother, told WSOC before her arrest that it was the first time had she let the children walk alone.

“It was just devastating, I’m still in shock, I’m in shock,” she said. “It’s hard, I haven’t stopped crying; my husband hasn’t stopped crying. Honestly, I want justice for my baby.”

Summer Williams was in her car and witnessed the event. She told WSOC that Legend, apparently unaware of oncoming traffic, jumped into the street to the surprise of his brother, who tried to stop him. Williams said she comforted the child until paramedics arrived.

“Even at night, I still see his face,” she said. “Just letting him know that somebody was there and he wasn’t alone. ‘Stay with us, sweetheart. You’re going to be all right. Stay with us,’” Williams said she told the child.

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[Return of the Freaker]

Again negligence. That fucking hard to walk with your kids or meet up with them to take them to the store? Or you know teach the kid not to run into traffic?

Aside from teaching your kid not to run into traffic, tell me how I know you were born after 2001. Kids going out to the store or whatever if it wasn't too far used to be pretty normal. Let's legislate helicopter parenting and then wonder why the competency crisis continues. Well, aside from all the assorted browns

 

[I Hate The Disabled]

It's reasonable for a parent to believe there is little risk for a kid to walk around the block without being killed by a geriatric boomer who has no business driving.

Lockdowns may be officially over, but they're sure as hell trying to make people afraid of leaving their house out of the fear of being sent to prison.

 

[Fatsuit Shinji]

The basis for arresting the parents is absurd. The idea that it's a crime somewhere to allow a 10 year old with his little brother to walk two blocks to a grocery store and back unaccompanied is ludicrous. That's not something that should be seen as shocking or unusual, it was the default until at least the 2000s. So you're legally required in whatever shithole this happened in to be a helicopter parent?

People keep wondering why Gen Z are now so utterly useless and have no life skills. Maybe it's because they're the first generation to have been wrapped in cotton wool and never allowed to develop any kind of independence while they were growing up?

This trend started even before the "greatest generation" was born. With each succeeding generation the distance "free range" children were allowed to go shrank further and further. Especially after the boomer parents got indoctrinated to fear every stranger their kids come across is possibly a kidnapping pedo.

 

[YouGuysAren'tThatSmart]

Incorrect. 89. Nice try though. I was raised by parents that taught me to not run in traffic. Also, I was born before the education system went to shit and the entirety of youth didn’t get 50iq points more retarded. Which again I’m amazed people can’t grasp that kids are 1000 times more retarded now than when we were growing up.

Aside from teaching your kid not to run into traffic, tell me how I know you were born after 2001. Kids going out to the store or whatever if it wasn't too far used to be pretty normal. Let's legislate helicopter parenting and then wonder why the competency crisis continues. Well, aside from all the assorted browns

This trend started even before the "greatest generation" was born. With each succeeding generation the distance "free range" children were allowed to go shrank further and further. Especially after the boomer parents got indoctrinated to fear every stranger their kids come across is possibly a kidnapping pedo.

800,000 children are reported missing every year in the US. I’d say it’s good to be just a tad bit cautious, wouldn’t you?

 

[The Secret Sauce]

Thank god I read more than just the first sentence before voicing my opinion for once. I almost sided with the grieving family before I saw the race of the child.

 

[Larry David's Opera Cape]

I'm gonna fucking lose it if it turns out the kid's name isn't pronounced "legend" but "lee-jend".

Just as it's written. Leg End.

 

[Haramburger]

Black people notoriously do not observe traffic laws or crosswalks as pedestrians, and will just cross wherever, almost wish you'd hit them to either put them out of their misery or give them a windfall so they never have to work again. They pass this negligent behavior directly onto their keeds.

On the other hand, fuck some geriatric who is talking on the phone and driving distracted while already having dogshit reaction times, vision and awareness. I'm not happy about or rooting for either side. I gotta keep an eye out for both these problems in the so-called society I am forced to share with them.

 

[Heed Not]

I dont see that charge sticking in court because it sets the precedent that parents of urban youth are criminally liable for their kids.

 

[RollerGator]

Are you people overlooking it was a busy 4 lane street? Seriously? The speed limit is 45 miles an hour FFS. This is negligence fuck these people.

View attachment 7466367View attachment 7466369

BTW another article just so you guys can see that these are the faggots in question and that is the 4 lane road.

They should be charged with race mixing, not letting their kids go outside.

 

[YouGuysAren'tThatSmart]

They should be charged with race mixing, not letting their kids go outside.

Why not both?

 

[Beautiful Border]

Again negligence. That fucking hard to walk with your kids or meet up with them to take them to the store? Or you know teach the kid not to run into traffic?

You're missing the point. You're saying that if you let your kid walk to the store by themselves and something happens to them (whether that be a tragic accident or they do something stupid), then we should prosecute the parents. The implications of that are absolutely enormous and it's absolutely not a precedent that should be set in law.

Incorrect. 89. Nice try though. I was raised by parents that taught me to not run in traffic. Also, I was born before the education system went to shit and the entirety of youth didn’t get 50iq points more retarded. Which again I’m amazed people can’t grasp that kids are 1000 times more retarded now than when we were growing up.

And the fact the police are prosecuting parents for "negligence" for allowing their kids out of arms' reach is feeding into that. Cause and effect. Put an iPad in front of a kid and don't let them do anything for themselves for 18 years and you'll have a feckless adult on your hands.

By the way, parents (in the United States) have been prosecuted for doing what these parents did even when the child hasn't been hurt or killed. Here's an example.

800,000 children are reported missing every year in the US. I’d say it’s good to be just a tad bit cautious, wouldn’t you?

The vast majority of those are not people snatching random kids off the street. It includes runaways, family abductions arising from custody disputes, and kids who were briefly lost and then found again.

 

[iHuman]

That is ridiculous, when I was 8 years old I would walk from school to the public bus station (it was about 20 minutes walk), then out from the bus through a beach until I reach home.
What are parents supposed to do ? Lock their children in cages in fear that anything might happen to them?

 

[Kuritan Deplorable]

Sometimes shit happens and people die. The desire to find someone to punish in every possible fucking instance is just gonna hurt people more. What's that Trek quote, "Its possible to commit no wrong and still lose, that's life"? Feels like its very appropriate for here. Parents assumed "My children aren't retarded enough to walk into traffic", driver assumed "Pedestrians aren't retarded enough to walk into traffic". Hell brother was clearly paying attention if he had a chance to shout "No" and try to grab him, so its not like he was slacking off either. I genuinely have no reason to believe that the outcome would have been any different had the mother been there.

Past a point, you can't fix stupid, and that kid self selected his way out of the system.

 

[YouGuysAren'tThatSmart]

You're missing the point. You're saying that if you let your kid walk to the store by themselves and something happens to them (whether that be a tragic accident or they do something stupid), then we should prosecute the parents. The implications of that are absolutely enormous and it's absolutely not a precedent that should be set in law.

Is not the first thing that comes to the mind is where the parents? And to dive even deeper, we’re living in a society where parents pay less attention than ever before. Is it hard to believe that this retard thought he’d respawn like in GTA? Kids play that shit now, and I wouldn’t be surprised that they think the world acts like that unless the parents differentiate between reality and a game. Even better our education system is so bad that people can’t even read and write in high school and even lack compression skills. Think what you want but kids are way dumber than they usual and probably require more supervision or at least the same amount as was put in before this age of technology.

And the fact the police are prosecuting parents for "negligence" for allowing their kids out of arms' reach is feeding into that. Cause and effect. Put an iPad in front of a kid and don't let them do anything for themselves for 18 years and you'll have a feckless adult on your hands.

By the way, parents (in the United States) have been prosecuted for doing what these parents did even when the child hasn't been hurt or killed. Here's an example.

Nice cherry pick, notice how the kid isn’t dead, and they dropped the charges almost immediately.

The vast majority of those are not people snatching random kids off the street. It includes runaways, family abductions arising from custody disputes, and kids who were briefly lost and then found again.

So fucking what? You think any of those parents reporting their kids missing though, “Oh they’ll turn up because they usually do because that’s what statistics say, let’s go to Steak and Shake.” Highly doubt it, when a family is reporting a kid missing their racked with stress and misery and I’d bet them being found and returned probably made them pay more attention to their kids. What kind of fucking retard logic is that? Don’t have kids faggot.

 

[TowinKarz]

That is ridiculous, when I was 8 years old I would walk from school to the public bus station (it was about 20 minutes walk), then out from the bus through a beach until I reach home.
What are parents supposed to do ? Lock their children in cages in fear that anything might happen to them?

Never forget, 20% of this country said being locked in your home indefinitely as a COVID precaution was just fine.

To the point that not doing it meant you should be arrested.

 

[Beautiful Border]

Is not the first thing that comes to the mind is where the parents? And to dive even deeper, we’re living in a society where parents pay less attention than ever before. Is it hard to believe that this retard thought he’d respawn like in GTA? Kids play that shit now, and I wouldn’t be surprised that they think the world acts like that unless the parents differentiate between reality and a game. Even better our education system is so bad that people can’t even read and write in high school and even lack compression skills. Think what you want but kids are way dumber than they usual and probably require more supervision or at least the same amount as was put in before this age of technology.

Now you're talking about two different things. The question at hand is: "Should a parent be prosecuted for letting kids walk two blocks to the store?". Whether it's wise for parents to allow their kids to play GTA really has nothing to do with that.

Whether this kid did or didn't, I'll hazard a guess and say that no, he didn't jump into traffic because he thought he'd "respawn". That's a really surface level, honestly laughable understanding of developmental psychology. A non-neurodivergent seven year old doesn't think like that.

I agree that kids are dumber now, but part of that is precisely because kids aren't being allowed out of sight and sheltered from any kind of consequences or potential for growth. If you're agreeing with the parents being prosecuted here, you're accelerating the trend you're bemoaning.

ice cherry pick, notice how the kid isn’t dead, and they dropped the charges almost immediately.

Again, missing the point. There should never have been charges put forward in the first place.

So fucking what? You think any of those parents reporting their kids missing though, “Oh they’ll turn up because they usually do because that’s what statistics say, let’s go to Steak and Shake.” Highly doubt it, when a family is reporting a kid missing their racked with stress and misery and I’d bet them being found and returned probably made them pay more attention to their kids. What kind of fucking retard logic is that? Don’t have kids faggot.

You're putting forward a stance that means parents can't win. If they don't let their kids develop independence, they're helicoptering and stunting their kid's growth as people. But if they do, then they're negligent and it's entirely their fault if something terrible happens to them. Do you have kids yourself? Got any parenting tips for us?

 

[Bork Laser]

This is exactly the type of shit I was pointing out in another thread a month or so ago

This but it's actually harder than back our day. In our day, assuming you mean 90s-early 2000s, the internet wasn't everywhere. It wasn't in your phone, it wasn't on a tablet and hell it wasn't even on your video games reliably, even in the early 2000s. The internet was it's own separate thing, locked away on the computer. But you can't escape it, it's on everything, it's required for almost everything.

Alright so fuck that then. Make your kids play outside, ride their bikes a bit but OOPS apparently a kid riding their bike around is enough to have some faggot call the cops:https://reason.com/2024/07/10/cops-called-on-8-year-old-child-for-being-outside/

Ok whatever, lets hang out at the mall for a few hours. Window, grab a nice treat at the food court, talk, have some fun. Oh wait not oops some tiktok faggot annouced he was gonna be at a mall and 3,000 chimps showed up and started a massive brawl, a gun might have gone off and now everybody is running for their fucking lives: https://people.com/multiple-minors-...-over-300-youth-broke-out-at-nj-mall-11737190

The world is fucked. The childhood we had is never coming back.

It's like there is almost a concentrated effort to force parents to keep their kids locked away, mindlessly consuming internet media so they grow up to be barely functional fucking adults. This shit is nuts. At 10 I was riding my bike to the local park with all my other friends. Sometimes tragedy's happen and it's no one's fault.

 

[Iron Jaguar]

Stupid to charge the niggers parents with anything. It was literally an accident.

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

Or you know teach the kid not to run into traffic?

If my parents had been charged with a crime every time I did something retarded that they'd specifically taught me not to do, they'd have gotten the chair. Kids do dumb things constantly, even when you teach them not to.

 

[Rootless Cosmopolitan]

This will sound harsh, but I don’t think most 76 year olds have the reaction time to drive at the speeds that they’re driving

This “age is just a number!” attitude plus fast cars is a recipe for disaster. Did the 76 year old do something ILLEGAL by hitting the child who jumped into the street? No… but there’s a good chance the driver would not have hit the kid if s/he were 10 years younger. And now a kid is dead.