Negligent or Not? Plea in Toddler's Death

Earlier today, William and Chelsie Whitfield pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in the shooting death of Robert Reaves, a toddler whose mother had left him unattended while visiting the Whitfields. Colbert County DA Bryce Graham stated:

“This case was not about punishment or revenge, but about taking responsibility, and realizing there are consequences for your actions whether it be negligent or not.”

Well, that was interesting. Negligent or not? We're waiting for him...or anyone...to ask the mother Ashley Reaves to take responsibility for her actions in the child's death.

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One good thing in the whole boondoggle of this shooting is that this young couple may still have charges against them dropped after 12 months. No, we don't approve of guns lying around, but neither do we approve of expecting individuals to randomly take responsibility for children not their own.

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We encourage everyone to read or reread this blog (and comments):

Statement on Reaves Toddler's Death

Manslaughter? Is Bryce Graham Crazy?

WARNING: The following blog presents a strong dose of logic; if allergic, don’t read.

It’s only been a few weeks ago that we declared our personal feelings toward guns. We’re pretty much middle of the road, meaning both extremes in the issue hate our opinion. Guns are a necessary evil. We’ve never understood why parents leave loaded guns lying around for children to find, but they do and apparently they aren’t going to stop even after their child or grandchild is killed.

Yet this isn’t about a parent; this is about a young couple who have no children. Unless something is being left out of the story, this young couple is no Bonnie and Clyde, but law abiding citizens who have found themselves in a nightmare they had nothing to do with producing. In other words, this young man and woman are the victims here and have both our sympathy and support.

Toddler Who Died due to Mother's Negligence

The whole lurid story: A woman (and perhaps her current husband, we don’t know) visits a home with no children. The couple who owned the home didn’t know the child was coming. In fact, the young husband wasn’t even there. At some point the mother, Ashley Reaves, uses the telephone and loses track of where her son Robert Michael Reaves is. While Ashley is paying attention to her phone and not her son, the two-year old finds a loaded gun on a nightstand in the young couple’s bedroom and shoots himself. The gun is at the ready due to some serious crime in the couple’s neighborhood in the preceding two months.

We’re seeing a lot of inane rhetoric about the gun “going off” or the child “being shot.” No, the gun didn’t just go off, Robert pulled the trigger and shot himself. It’s as simple as that. We don’t know how many seconds it took for Robert to see the gun, walk toward it, pick it up, and pull the trigger, but whatever number of seconds it was, that was the number of seconds Ashley Reaves was not supervising her son.

So, how is this supposed to work, Dr. Graham? (We’re not calling you “mister” since that’s a title of respect.) Our gun is in a bedside drawer, but the drawer is unlocked. If this happens at our house, are we liable? Or how about this: Just before we read this horrible story we were polishing some brass, and the Tarn-X is on the kitchen counter. If a child comes into our home unexpectedly, is left unsupervised by his guardian, and drinks the corrosive chemical, are we responsible?

How about this: We’re sure there was at least blood at the scene of the shooting and perhaps even some brain matter. Who cleaned it up? Why don’t the young couple sue for damages? Then add a little extra for emotional trauma as well? Billy and Mr. Holt don’t work for free; the young couple can use the money.

Now here’s a little extra logic while we’re on a roll. If you have five children, can you take care of them? In today’s world that’s a large family. Two of the children weren’t named Reaves, so there’s a strong possibility of emotional instability and upheaval in that family already. Usually DHR will investigate when a child dies. We hope that the Colbert County DHR is thoroughly investigating Ashley and Keith Reaves before anything happens to the four remaining children in their custody.

We would sincerely like to know why an innocent young couple has been arrested instead of Ashley Reaves.

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It’s also no secret that two of our regular bloggers are extremely pro gun. We’re awaiting their take on this surreal boondoggle.