GoFundMe issued refunds to donors who gave money to a Georgia father who was arrested for leaving his children to play at a local McDonald’s playground without adult supervision while he allegedly attended a job interview.
Chris Louis, 24, was charged with deprivation of a minor on March 22, The Augusta Press reported. That day, a customer at a McDonald’s in Augusta noticed three kids — ages 1, 6, and 10 — playing in the indoor playground area by themselves.
The customer called 911, and a local deputy responded and discovered the children weren’t accompanied by an adult. A witness reported seeing Louis with the kids at 4:30 p.m. before seeing him leave the restaurant, return, and then leave again.
When he returned to the McDonald’s at 6:18 p.m., deputies detained him there.
He told officers he didn’t own a car and walked to the restaurant with his kids from his apartment, but he didn’t want to make them walk back alone while he went to a job interview nearby.
Louis was taken into custody, and the children’s mother came to the scene to pick up the kids.
Louis has received an outpouring of support on social media, with some even rallying for his release and offering financial aid.
“Sounds like he could use a little help. He’s trying,” one person wrote. The 10-year-old was watching them! I watched my sisters at 10 and they are alive and breathing,” one woman wrote.
There’s no specific law dictating the age at which a child can be left alone in Georgia, but guidelines suggest that children under 9 should not be left alone, and those between 9 and 12 can be left for brief periods of less than two hours based on maturity. Those 13 and older may be left alone and can babysit for up to 12 hours.
“Seems like he was just trying to get a job to take care of his kids. He didn’t leave them in the car, so come on, give him a break,” another social media user wrote.
Former NFL player Antonio Brown created a GoFundMe page for the family.
“Story caught me by surprise. A dad just trying to find a way to make money for his family. I know he shouldn’t just leave his kids, but some people don’t have the means for babysitting, etc. This GoFundMe is set in place to help this man. I have spoken with GoFundMe and they will get the funds to Chris and his family. I haven’t spoken to Chris yet, but I hope to do so soon,” Brown wrote.
The online fundraiser has raised over $50,000 by May, with Brown donating over $1,000.
However, authorities later issued a report contradicting Louis’ alibi.
According to police officials, around 4:30 p.m., two witnesses overheard Louis on the phone saying he had to “drop something off,” which was later identified as a black backpack.
The daughter then called her mother, who arrived at the McDonald’s around 6:12 p.m. and phoned Louis. He told her he was on his way back from The Hendrix. Six minutes later, he showed up — still carrying the same backpack.
During that time, Louis reportedly said he had “lost his ID and another card” and was retracing his steps to find them, according to a statement from Whitehead released Wednesday afternoon.
A manager at the West Bank Inn confirmed Louis had submitted a job application earlier that day. However, surveillance footage from the hotel shows he was there roughly three hours before witnesses spotted him and the children at the restaurant.
