LAKE WALES. Fla. — A Florida man accused of several burglaries told deputies he brought an 8-year-old child with him for some of the alleged crimes because he was “trying to toughen him up,” authorities said.
Ernest McKnight III, 36, of Lake Wales, was arrested Thursday and charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, grand theft motor vehicle, tampering with evidence, petit theft and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He is also facing traffic charges and a negligent child abuse charge from Lake Wales police, according to WFLA-TV.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, McKnight allegedly stole an empty red Hyundai that was parked in Lake Wales on Nov. 7. The car was idling and its owner was outside of the car surveying for construction, the television station reported.
On Thursday at about 7 a.m., McKnight allegedly rummaged through an SUV when a man left the vehicle to walk his dog at a park, then left the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
Several hours later, a Lake Wales homeowner said they saw McKnight steal a package from their front porch. When the homeowner told him to return the package, McKnight allegedly yelled, “It’s mine now,” and left the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
After Lake Wales police were unsuccessful in pulling McKnight over, the sheriff’s office used an aviation unit to find him near a Lake Wales home, WFLA reported.
According to the sheriff’s office, McKnight had an 8-year-old boy with him when he allegedly committed some of his crimes. Deputies who asked McKnight why he took the child with him said the man responded by saying, “I was trying to toughen him up … I don’t want him to be soft.”
"Folks, if you would like to read that last part again, go ahead, the sheriff’s office wrote on its Facebook page. “We’ll wait as your brain cells calm down.”
“Taking a child out with you while you committing felonies is not the proper way to create a positive influence,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement, adding that the child was reunited with his family. “I’m quite confident that there is not a child psychologist out there who would agree with this guy’s idea of proper activity for a child.”
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