If you're one of the politically correct and the perpetually offended, I suggest you stop reading now. What follows is bound to upset you.
The good news is that 3-year-old Richarianna Ramsey has been found safely. The bad news is just about everything else associated with this story!
Last Wednesday, 21 year old Sarah Roper left her daughter Richarianna with a babysitter. The babysitter was supposed to take the child to a barbecue in the neighborhood. When Roper showed up to pick up her daughter, the babysitter and her child were gone.
Believing that she couldn't report a missing child for 24 hours (!), Roper waited until Thursday evening to call police and report that her child was gone. When police responded, she told them that the babysitter was a 19 year old that she only knew as "Skittles". She was unable to provide much, if any, other identifying information for "Skittles".
Friday afternoon, "Skittles" and a 16 year old boy were arrested while shoplifting at Mayfair Mall. The baby was with them. Presumably, the pair figured that the a small child would serve as a good cover for their shoplifting spree.
By the way, "Skittles" was not 19 as originally claimed by Roper. Actually , "Skittles" was only 14.
That's right. Roper left her child in the custody of a 14 year old that she knew only as "Skittles"!
Roper now says that she "won't let nobody else keep [her] baby doll for awhile". She also would prefer that criminal charges not be pursued against "Skittles". Isn't that special?
Frankly, the real question is not whether "Skittles" should be charged with a crime (she should) but rather whether Roper should continue to be allowed to retain custody of her child? I mean, seriously, who in the right mind leaves a child in the care of a 14 year old that they know only by their street name?
I won't even raise the matter of where the biological father is?
Here's what should happen. The folks at Child Protective Services should take a hard look at this situation to determine whether this was an isolated example of really poor judgement on Roper's part or part of a larger pattern of neglect. If it's the latter, they should intervene immediately before something really unfortunate happens to this child.
For those frustrated with cases like this, I understand where you're coming from. Just remember, you need a license to catch a fish!
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