Man Charged For Kidnapping Boy He Claims Bullied His Son; Boy's Mom Speaks Out
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—The charges against a Baltimore father are causing controversy. He's accused of kidnapping another child after a fight at his son's elementary school.
Mike Hellgren speaks exclusively with the mom of the boy who was taken about what she calls a frightening ordeal for her son.
This is a story that has parents across the city talking about whether this dad did the right thing or not. He faces serious charges outlined in the charging documents: more than 40 years in jail if he's convicted.
"He caught them as they were walking home," said Kia Quickley, mother.
For the first time, Kia Quickley--the mother of the 11-year-old taken from his school in Northeast Baltimore by another parent--is speaking about the controversy.
"He started crying and was like, 'I was scared because I didn't even know what he was going to do to me,'" she said.
It unfolded earlier this month.
Donald Shields Sr. was picking up his son from Yorkwood Elementary. Shields' fiancée told WJZ he witnessed a group of older bullies beating his son.
Police say Shields chased after them in his car, grabbed the 11-year-old, locked him inside the vehicle and cursed at him before dropping him off back at the school.
Now Shields is charged with kidnapping, second-degree assault and false imprisonment.
"It scared me as a mother. What if he didn't take him back to the school?" Quickley said."I couldn't believe it."
She says her son is still scared to walk home from school, and she doesn't know if he'll ever get over that fear.
Shields' story is far different: According to his fiancée, he claims the 11-year-old voluntarily got into his car and he was just taking him back to teachers to get to the bottom of the fight.
"It's hard to know that they're accusing him of these things, and he's not that type of person," said Tia Drakes, fiancée.
The 11-year-old's mom says her child is no bully--and regardless, no parent should take the kind of action Shields is accused of taking.
"I didn't want to see the man go to jail," Quickley said. "I believe in second chances, but at the same time, it was out of my hands. It's not OK. You don't take somebody's child and throw them into your vehicle. You don't do that."
School administrators declined to comment on the case.
