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Florida Robber Takes Son, 5, to Work with Him

By Jason Beahm on March 04, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A Florida man took the concept of take your child to work day to an absurd new level. James Tindell allegedly took his 5-year-old son with him when he went on a robbery spree.

The Orange County, Florida Sheriff's Department responded to the Kangaroo gas station after a man armed with a box cutter robbed the store and drove off in a dark green SUV, according to the store clerk. Police later learned that two robberies were conducted earlier that day, one at a Mobil gas station and one at another Kangaroo, by a man fitting the same description.

Police also learned that the suspect had a young boy in his vehicle during the robberies, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Orange County, Florida Police later pulled over a vehicle that matched the description, and found James D. Tindell, 30 and his 5-year-old son inside the car. The store clerk identified Tindell and he was arrested. He is being charged with armed robbery with a deadly weapon, child abuse and culpable negligence, CBS News reports.

James Tindell had allegedly come away with only a few hundred dollars. The story is beyond sad; Tindell is now facing serious prison time.

"According to what the child told us, he told us his dad was supposed to be taking him to the water park all day," said Captain Matthew Gibbs of the Apopka Police Department said. For now the boy is safe with his mother.

"We were scared to death, we were scared to death. The whole family was just up and down the streets up and down the streets. There was nothing else we could do." said Renee Hall, the child's grandmother.

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