By Howard Cohen
The Miami Herald
POLK COUNTY, Fla. —Bring Your Child to Work Day got a distinctively Florida twist when a man brought an 8-year-old boy along on a multi-county crime spree.
The guy’s reason, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office: “I was trying to toughen him up. I don’t want him to be soft.”
Sheriff’s arrested 36-year-old Ernest McKnight III, a Lake Wales man, on Thursday after they say he committed a series of crimes over several days — some while he was accompanied by the child.
McKnight III was booked into Polk County Jail and charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling burglary of unoccupied conveyance, grand theft motor vehicle, tampering with evidence, petit theft and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for taking the boy along.
“Taking a child out with you while you’re committing felonies is not the proper way to create a positive influence. 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,” Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said in a media release.
In a snarky Facebook post, Polk County’s Sheriff dubbed McKnight #CriminalOfTheDay.
According to the arrest report, McKnight stole an unoccupied idling red Hyundai that was parked alongside State Road 60 and Central Avenue in Lake Wales on Nov. 7. The car’s driver was outside doing surveying for construction when cops say McKnight nabbed the car.
On Thursday morning, a man parked his Chevy HHR south of the Lake Ashton community to walk his dog. Detectives say he spotted a man rummaging through the car. McKnight, police say, ran away in the stolen Hyundai.
About five hours later, a Lake Wales resident saw a man deputies identified as McKnight stealing a package from a front porch. The victim yelled at McKnight to return the package, and McKnight yelled back, “It’s mine now!” deputies said. McKnight took off again in the red Hyundai, according to the report.
Lake Wales police tried to pull McKnight over but say he wouldn’t stop. A chopper spotted the Hyundai behind a house and McKnight was arrested there. The child was reunited with his family police said. Polk sheriff’s did not specify McKnight’s relationship with the child.
The Lake Wales PD added traffic and negligent child abuse charges, according to the report.
McKnight had previous charges including firearm possession by a convicted felon, domestic violence, loitering and prowling, narcotics, resisting arrest and theft. He served prison time in 2009. He was recently released from Polk jail on Halloween on a failure to appear charge.
A follower on Polk County Sheriff’s Facebook page wrote, “I ‘toughened up’ my kid when he was eight too. Made him help me pull weeds from the garden.”
https://www.facebook.com/polkcountysheriff/posts/10157782402861818
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