Mom Arrested After Allegedly Coaxing 7-Year-Old To Steal Someone's Purse From a Restaurant
Fox 5/YouTube, The Juicy Crab Newnan - Newnan, GA (1120 Bullsboro Rd, Newnan, GA)/FacebookPolice in Georgia have released surveillance footage from a Newnan restaurant, hoping to identify a mother who appeared to be coaxing her child to commit a crime. The footage aired on news stations in the Atlanta area, and it didn't take long for tips to begin rolling in and for the alleged criminal to be named.
When the incident occurred, Kenya Butler, 27, was with her children and others at the Juicy Crab in Newnan. Surveillance released by Fox 5 shows the mother apparently leaving the restaurant, and it appears she is telling her 7-year-old daughter to take a purse left at an empty table. Sadly, it seems the mother was encouraging the child to steal.
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The incident occurred in early March.
Per Fox 5, the incident occurred during the Saturday evening dinner rush on March 2. Surveillance shows a woman — later identified as Butler — holding a toddler in the busy restaurant and talking to another child. She appears to point out the purse in the empty booth and reportedly instructs her daughter to take it.
The girl seemed to obey her mother.
After a brief discussion, the child is seen taking the purse and hiding it in her clothes as her mother walks away with the young child in her arms. Detective Taylor Dalton with Newnan Police told Fox 5 the purse belonged to a server who worked at the restaurant and had left it in the booth.
"After the story aired in the media, we were able to identify Kenya Butler as the offender in this case," Dalton said.
The mother was arrested.
According to police, Butler was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and theft by taking. Dalton said the mother gave some information about what happened that night but declined to say why she encouraged her daughter to take the purse. He added that the child was not in trouble for the alleged crime.
Butler posted bond and was released.
According to WBZ News Radio, the mother paid a $2,300 bond and was released from jail the same day. It is unclear when she will appear in court next.
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Butler's crew allegedly stiffed the restaurant on a hefty bill.
In addition to the alleged purse theft, a large group of people also walked out of the restaurant without paying the bill, according to Fox 5. They allegedly feasted on $500 worth of seafood and didn't leave a dime for the meal. A man captured in surveillance footage was reportedly responsible for paying the bill, and police are asking for tips to identify him.
WBZ News reported the man had tattoos on both of his arms and was wearing a white shirt that read, "Fake Love, rich sex."
