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Picking up YOUR KIDS for sunday school without you knowing! (Legal Advise Please)

Here is a post that a friend of mine made on Facebook...

"I was abruptly awoke by my children, because "the man from the church is here to pick us up for Sunday school".
Someone solicited my kids earlier this week, when they were out riding
their bikes, and coerced our address from (my son). Most unprofessional
and they WILL be getting a phone call from a very heated mother."

Does this sound like something that the Freedom From Religion Foundation would get involved with? Or are they strictly Church / State separation?

Does anyone know of another organization that would be willing to help my friend send a message to these people that this kind of behavior is wrong?

Thank you

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Permalink Reply by Olga Spelts (Human Bean) on June 28, 2010 at 1:20pm

Agreed! That is def def wrong. Sounds more like kidnapping to me.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Rogers on June 27, 2010 at 8:15pm

If you lived in the belly of the Bible Belt, who knows if the local district attorney would be more sympathetic to the church. But seeing you live in Michigan, hopefully you'll find one who prosecute this predator to the full extent of the law, which isn't as bad than if he had actually taken them.

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Permalink Reply by Pat on June 27, 2010 at 8:49pm

Not sure what the criminal offense in Michigan is, but in Illinois, it's called Child Abduction. Luring someone under the age of 16 into a vehicle, without the parent's or guardian's permission, for other than a lawful purpose. A conviction for this felony can get you 3 years as the new guy in the prison shower. (I worked 15 years as a prosecutor).

My advice would be to skip the irate phone call, and go directly to the police and prosecuting attorney. If they ask your friend if he is willing to follow through on the criminal charge, my answer would be "Hell Yes!!!" (Don't be surprised if they ask - you'd be amazed how many who make complaints won't go to court and end up wasting law enforcement officers' and the court's time).

Danny mentioned this isn't a Sunday School issue but rather a predator issue. Even if it turns out to be a Sunday School issue, he's right. Whoever this scumbag is, whether clergy, devout member of a church, or the neighborhood pedophile, he and whoever put him up to it need to be stopped dead in their tracks. No better way to get someone's attention than telling him he has the right to remain silent, while being fitted for a one-size-fits-all set of iron bracelets. Nothing more than an irate call may protect his children, but that has the very real probability of allowing some other child to be victimized.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Rogers on June 28, 2010 at 7:35am

Pat, Beyond any criminal proceedings that may be appropriate, could there be a civil action? If they can show the church planned and carried out a program to lure kids' addresses and then basically abduct them, could the church be sued? Hit them in the collection plate too.

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Permalink Reply by Pat on June 28, 2010 at 11:09am

Absolutely! A violation of criminal law, in virtually all circumstances, gives the victim of a criminal action a right to sue for civil damages. Now, this depends on who gets held liable for the crime in Court. If - and I'm going out on a limb here - it can be shown that this was a conspiracy (two or more people planning a criminal act and one of them taking a substantial step in the commission of that act), then you've got whoever participated in the planning of this "nailed" - every pun intended. Even if only one member of the church is prosecuted, you have a slam dunk case against that one person on a theory called collateral estoppel. He's already found to be liable, and now it's just a question of how big the civil damages are. Even if it's just one person convicted in criminal court, you still may have shot at the whole church in civil court.

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Permalink Reply by Jason L Franklin on June 28, 2010 at 11:34am

Pity the church couldn't be subject to a "RICO" statute as an organized crime enterprise and have all of their assets confiscated and put up for public auction.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra Stott on June 28, 2010 at 1:17pm

I also agree with Danny! This guy is hunting children, he could have come to YOU (her, actually) when he found out the address and gotten in touch with the parent right away. The fact that he didn't come to the house immediately is very highly suspect, and goes beyond any religious matter.

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Permalink Reply by Michael on June 28, 2010 at 1:24pm

I had a car stop before and try to lure me into their cult... I am sure after that experience, they think twice before attempting to save a soul.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Jones on June 28, 2010 at 5:12pm

Criminal charges, civil charges, get this on the local TV stations. Last but not least...This is why I own a gun and a license to conceal said weapon on my person.

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Permalink Reply by Atheist Insurgency on July 5, 2010 at 10:19am

That is kidnapping.

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Permalink Reply by Alex Catgirl on July 5, 2010 at 11:28am

Around here we call that child abduction, and it's a felony. Report them to the local authorities and demand they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law(s).

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Permalink Reply by Jezzy on July 7, 2010 at 7:09pm

They could have been Mormons. I'd never been the most active in the church but I'd get calls to go to meetings, and people would show up at my door, talk to me at school, I've even had members occasionally stop their cars as I was walking home to invite me. Mormons are very involved in converting.

Make sure something gets done about it. The suggestions here are good, and it couldn't hurt to research the FFRF a bit. Keep us posted, okay?