Man has kids ‘roam the streets’ collecting money for fake nonprofit, Florida cops say
A traffic stop led to accusations that a man was dropping off kids by themselves to collect donations for a fake nonprofit, Florida authorities said.
The 36-year-old man with a child in the back of the van was pulled over in Alachua County the morning of April 6, according to a report from Florida Highway Patrol.
The trooper reporting smelling marijuana in the van and asked the driver to show his license. The man couldn’t provide his license, and the trooper ran a search that showed the man had a suspended license, the trooper said.
He identified the child in the back as Justin, but the boy said his name was Brian, according to the report.
The trooper said he found a scale and marijuana in the van and believed the man intended to distribute it. The child said he was “familiar” with the substance found in the van.
The trooper said he learned the man was transporting four kids from the Orlando area to Alachua County, more than a 100-mile drive north, to get them to solicit donations for a fake nonprofit called “Awareness Youth.”
Troopers found the other kids in different locations.
“It should be noted that the children were left unattended to roam the streets asking for money” under the man’s direction, the trooper said in the report.
For every $10 the children collected, they got to keep $4, authorities said.
McClatchy News reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol to learn the relationship between the man and the children but did not receive an immediate response.
The man faces possession charges, driving while license is suspended and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Alachua County records show. McClatchy News could not immediately get in contact with the man’s attorney April 9.
The man was charged in a similar incident in 2013 when authorities said he took seven children from Orlando to Flagler County, roughly an 80-mile drive, to sell candy and cookies for an organization against drugs and alcohol, court documents show.
The report said he dropped the kids off in separate locations without food, water or supervision in 91- degree weather. He pleaded no contest and was ordered to pay a fine, in addition to doing community service, according to court documents.
Alachua County is in north Florida, and Gainesville is the county seat.
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