Video of Teen Forced Into Van Takes Strange Twist

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When authorities in Stafford County, Va., saw alarming surveillance video of a teenage girl being forced -- kicking and screaming -- into a minivan, they issued an Amber Alert, believing she was abducted from a Target store parking lot.

Now Stafford County authorities are weighing whether to file charges against the girl's relatives, after the 17-year-old was found safe with her family in Jacksonville, Fla. Officials said the teen wasn't fighting off a kidnapping -- but resisting the family's move to Florida. Her family said the dramatic surveillance video actually shows the teen protesting as three relatives struggle to stuff her into their Dodge Caravan.

Okay, so the family has to force the teen to move to Florida with them. They get her in the van and get to Florida. Then they get to their new home. Then they get contacted by the police who are looking for the teen because passersby saw the incident in the parking lot. So, why exactly would they file charges against the family members?? That part I don't get at all. It's not like they filed a false police report or something.

I wouldn't want to move to Florida either, so I empathize with the girl.

At least the family are only facing charges, they would easily defeat in any court. Here in the U.K she is more likely to have been put her into "care" (at least had she been under 16). Kids can be very hard to get out, under the U.K's secretative "Family Courts" system, so I guess America is a freerer country in some ways.

The EXACT thing happened here in my town. A 17 year old girl was seen being pushed into a truck. Turns out it was her and her dad moving to B.C, and she did not want to go.

Freaky stuff!

What charges could they possibly file?

Wasting police time - Well they didn't
Kinapping - nope
Child Abuse - not even close
eeerrmmm

somone give me a hand - Ahh I have it

Driving a Dodge Caravan - With that type of fuel consumption. CRIMINAL!

Originally posted by JakiusFogg
What charges could they possibly file?

Wasting police time - Well they didn't
Kinapping - nope
Child Abuse - not even close
eeerrmmm

somone give me a hand - Ahh I have it

Driving a Dodge Caravan - With that type of fuel consumption. CRIMINAL!

Creating a public disturbance.

reply to post by Pixus


Not possible unless one of the "public" makes a complaint.

this is just a domestic, and should be sorted out in house.

and seeing as she was with the family, then I would say it was.

Now if this was the real deal and the girl was actually being kidnapped then what a sad society we live in. Did you see how many people just stood there and watched or the one lady who just walked by? The girl was probably screaming her head off and not one person stepped in to help or ask what was going on. The small group just stood there and watched the van drive away then probably asked each other did you just see that?

[edit on 30-5-2010 by InvisibleObserver]

I cant believe it came to them dragging her into the car kicking and screaming, pretty immature way for a 17yrold to act.

Maybe they should have just let her stay, i moved out when I was 17 and it didnt do me any harm.

Originally posted by InvisibleObserver
Now if this was the real deal and the girl was actually being kidnapped then what a sad society we live in. Did you see how many people just stood there and watched or the one lady who just walked by? The girl was probably screaming her head off and not one person stepped in to help or ask what was going on. The small group just stood there and watched the van drive then probably asked each other did you just see that?

Yeah, they just called 911. Had it been an actual abduction, she could be dead before something is done about it.

They drove all the way from Virginia to Florida with her before anyone caught up to them.

I have been kinda following this, glad to know she is alive and well and this is not another messed up abduction. What concerns me a bit though is what someone else mentioned earlier about the public. I mean, the total lack of concern "not wanting to get involved". At least one of them may have yelled something like "Yo, I'm her Uncle Mike-Mike, and she dosen't want to go to Florida with us. Fall back, this is a family matter!" Then when the cops arrive they would have something to go off of, rather then making this headline news for most networks to take the focus off of BP.

[edit on 30-5-2010 by DrEyebrows]

I'm horrified that it could be legal for the family to force this girl to go anywhere with them.

At 17, surely a person has a right to make decisions about where they live?

In Australia they do, anyway.

The REALLY sad thing about this is that, considering the mind-set of the society we live in, this family will probably end up being accused of child abuse.

Child protective services (whatever it's called in Florida) will investigate, force the family to accept their "services" or face criminal child abuse charges. They'll never be charged, never go to court, but will have to endure monthly or twice-monthly visits from a social worker till CPS decides they're "behaving appropriately".

Sigh. I've seen this happen more than once, once with a teenager who refused to leave a friend's house and go home with her parent, once with a younger child who refused to get in the car for a dentist's visit. CPS visits for several months, and the parents forever after on the blacklist with the local school social worker and CPS, where every move they made was scrutinized. One family finally moved to another town because of it.

You know what bugs me the most about this whole thing? It is the fact that there were people in that video who saw what they honestly thought was a kidnapping. But did they try and stop it? NO! They just kept walking! They stopped and stared. No one tried to help!


For god sake, I am so relieved that this was just a misunderstanding. If it was a real kidnapping this kid would be screwed! What is wrong with people? They see what they think is a kidnapping and do nothing about it? Really?


God I hope I never get kidnapped. If so I am screwed....

Originally posted by Kailassa
I'm horrified that it could be legal for the family to force this girl to go anywhere with them.

At 17, surely a person has a right to make decisions about where they live?

In Australia they do, anyway.

In the United States it is 18.

If she has a job though she could go to court and be declared an emancipated minor. I sure would with a family like that. There's something weird about the situation where the teen is that hysterical about moving.

Originally posted by JakiusFogg
What charges could they possibly file?

Wasting police time - Well they didn't
Kinapping - nope
Child Abuse - not even close
eeerrmmm

somone give me a hand - Ahh I have it

Driving a Dodge Caravan - With that type of fuel consumption. CRIMINAL!

Maybe the cop was taking a nap when he got the call, then it would be a classic 413: waking an officer.

reply to post by Kailassa


sure

LOL

if this person WORKS and pay for their food, taxes and place to sleep, no problem

but that probably wasnt the case .... just a crying ^x2$ kid

If my 13 year old behaved like that it would be a nuclear event she would spend a very long time regretting. I'm astonished that any 17 year old would behave like that. Either the kid is on drugs, has serious physical or emotional issues, or their parents' parenting just sucks. It should not be required to physically tackle and wrestle someone to the ground or vehicle when the family moves, no matter how tragic it is for the kid. That's ludicrous!

RC

Although it does look like something would have been a big problem to spectators, there is nothing wrong here. Just some little 17 year old throwing a hissy fit because she probably doesn't want to leave friends and what not. If it's that much of a problem for the kid then she could get a job wherever they are moving to and save up money to move back after she turns 18. In the end it's just her giving herself and her family a bad rep because of how childish she acted.

Originally posted by gimme_some_truth
You know what bugs me the most about this whole thing? It is the fact that there were people in that video who saw what they honestly thought was a kidnapping. But did they try and stop it? NO! They just kept walking! They stopped and stared. No one tried to help!


For god sake, I am so relieved that this was just a misunderstanding. If it was a real kidnapping this kid would be screwed! What is wrong with people? They see what they think is a kidnapping and do nothing about it? Really?


God I hope I never get kidnapped. If so I am screwed....

I agree. Now the family is luckily it did not go down the other way. By standers could have attacked or even killed them think it was actual abduction. The family was stupid for doing this in public for all to see. What if a cop had pulled up and shot them dead before he know what the deal was? This was a stupid thing to do to say the least.

I'm glad I live in Australia.

At 16, my parents could not prevent me leaving home, despite me having no job and no money. - Lucky for me, because I was being sexually abused by my mother and older brothers, and could not get help anywhere. When your parents are well respected, people don't believe they'll do that sort of thing.

Life was tough, starting out with nothing at that age, but I don't regret any of the lessons it taught me.