A 6-year-old spent 4 minutes scootering alone from a local park. Child protection services found his parents 'neglectful.'

"Mallerie Shirley and her husband, Christopher Pleasants, were pleased when their 6-year-old son asked if he could go to a nearby park on his electric scooter, as he'd done before. It was November 4, 2025, and he was off from school for Election Day. The parents, who live in Atlanta, thought it was great that he was getting some air and meeting friends at a fundraiser benefiting animals in the playground."

"They were both busy working at home; the boy was a confident child, the weather was good, and it was a safe neighborhood. He spent just under an hour at the playground, then, wearing a helmet, made the about 4-minute journey back home on the path - part of a 22-mile urban pedestrian, cycling, and e-scooter trail called the Atlanta Beltline."

"Then, he was stopped by a stranger in a car. Shirley said she could see the pathway from her house The first grader later told his parents that the person in the car asked where they were, his name, his age, and whether he lived nearby. He didn't tell her and sped home. Shirley, a software engineering manager, said he seemed shaken when he arrived."

Mallerie Shirley and her husband, Christopher Pleasants, allowed their 6-year-old son to ride his electric scooter to a nearby park on Election Day. The boy spent under an hour at the playground before making the roughly four-minute, 0.3-mile return trip on the Atlanta Beltline. A stranger in a car stopped him on the path and asked where they were, his name, age, and whether he lived nearby. He did not answer and sped home, appearing shaken. Shirley and Pleasants trusted his independence because of his maturity and prior trips. Two days later, a child welfare worker from the Division of Family and Children's Services knocked at their door.

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