Georgia police are claiming that a dad, whom Antonio Brown set up a fundraiser for after he was arrested, did not leave his children alone at a McDonald’s to go to a job interview.
Chris Louis, 24, was arrested on March 22 for contributing to the delinquency, unruliness or deprivation of a minor, a misdemeanor charge, after police say he left his children, ages one, six, and 10, unattended at the fast food restaurant.
Police arrived there after a concerned caller noticed the children alone. A witness said they saw Louis with the children around 4:30 p.m. The father allegedly left the restaurant, returned later, and then left again. In total, he was away from the children for less than two hours.
When he returned a final time around 6:18 p.m., he encountered a Richmond County Sheriff’s deputy. He told the officer he had walked with his children from his apartment to the restaurant and didn’t want to make them walk back while attending a job interview, explaining how he didn’t own a car. He was then taken into custody.
The children’s mother arrived at the restaurant and took them from the scene.
Now, according to a police report obtained by People, officials say the man was not at a formal job interview. However, investigators stated in a report that Louis did attend an informal job interview earlier in the day. Authorities even spoke to a manager at an inn where Louis applied for a position.
The manager told police that Louis had come in and completed a job application. “She also conducted an informal interview with him on that date. When asked if Mr Louis would be expecting a callback for a formal interview, she stated no,” the police report stated.
Police claim that security footage showed the man leaving the inn hours before he returned to his children at the McDonald’s.
A police statement continued: “Based on the video evidence and the timeline provided by all parties involved, it was determined that Mr Louis was not engaged in a job interview or application process during the time the children were left unattended.
“Furthermore, by his own admission, he was walking between McDonald’s and [an apartment complex] on foot during that period.”
Police spoke to the man’s eldest child. She told them her father and two siblings had walked to McDonald’s from their apartment complex. Her father left them to deliver a backpack to the complex. She said her father told her he’d return shortly, adding he frequently left them alone.
After news of the man’s arrest broke, former NFL player Antonio Brown launched a GoFundMe to help the man. It has reached $80,000 out of a $50,000 goal, with donations pouring in following the new police details.
“Story caught me by surprise,” Brown wrote on the fundraising site. “A dad just trying to find a way to make money for his family. I know he shouldn’t just leave his kids, but some people don’t have the means for babysitting.”
On Wednesday, the former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver posted an update on X.
“Still working on an update on Chris. I know he did for a fact attend a job interview after leaving his kids and I know that the family has been homeless since November,” he wrote, adding he is still trying to work out the details of the situation.
Those who donated funds can request a refund, he said.
Some of Brown’s followers said they wouldn’t be requesting a request. One person wrote under the post: “Job interview did happen and this money gets those kids a roof and hot meals… I don’t need any more details, my money is good to send.”
