Florida Mother Turns 15-Year-Old Son In For Burglary, Now He’s Facing Four Charges

A mother, Lakesha Robinson, 37, in Fort Myers, Florida, has reportedly turned her 15-year-old son into police after learning he, amongst other teens, were involved in a burglary. Now he is facing four charges, according to the NBC-2 News.

When Robinson was at her son’s, Chris Salters, school Tuesday for a parent-teacher conference, she noticed his attention was on a cell phone that she didn’t recognize.

“He doesn’t have a phone because his phone broke,” she said. “There’s no reason for him to have this phone. I said, ‘what are you doing with this phone? Whose phone is this?'”

Salters told his mother that the cell phone was given to him by a friend, but she wasn’t buying his story; therefore, she conducted her own investigation and uncovered that the real owner of the phone was an unidentified man located in Gateway – a gated community in Fort Myers.

The man told the mother-of-three, who works overnight at a Wawa store, that his car was broken into and his cellphone, wallet, and credit cards had been stolen.

He went on to say that his credit cards had been used at McDonald’s, Wawa, and Walmart.

“I said, ‘I know my son never broke into any vehicle. He was home at 9:30 p.m. going to sleep when I was going to work,’ but I said, ‘call the police, and do whatever you have to do. If my son is involved, or anybody else, they’re going to jail because he shouldn’t be out there doing this,” Robinson said.

“Since my son had the phone, it’s obvious that he know something about it,” she admitted. But when she asked her son about the burglary, he denied it – that’s when she continued her investigation.

A McDonald’s bag, a Walmart bag, and a receipt were found inside her home and she called the cell phone owner to see if the amounts matched his statements. When he told her yes, Robinson told reporters that she broke down.

Robinson stated that she met the man in Lehigh Acres to return his property.

Afterward, the Florida mother didn’t hesitate to turn her son in for burglary because of her own criminal background. Robinson doesn’t want her son to make the same mistakes she did before changing her life in 2007.

Robinson had been arrested multiple times for reportedly selling drugs, criminal mischief, and petty theft.

“I lived this life and I don’t want him to live this life. I’m not losing my son to the system or to the streets. My son isn’t going to be a statistic,” said Robinson.

“If I had to do this so he does better, it’s how I’m going to do it. I’m just not allowing my son to take that path.

“I’m going to stop it ahead of time. This could’ve ended way differently. Someone could’ve caught him, shot him and asked questions later.”

“They don’t know what I went through and they don’t know my story. I’m actually saving my son’s life because if I don’t do it now, nobody will do it,” she added.

Salters was arrested and taken to a juvenile detention center for 12 hours and charged with four counts of burglary.

The other teens involved in the case – Alvero Jackson and Lovens Sylfroid, both 18, – were arrested on eight charges.

The Daily Mail reported that Jackson and Sylfroid remain at the Lee County Jail.

Several social media users commended the mother, including Florence Sorenson.

“I admire you for doing the right thing. I wish all parents were like you, we would not have our courts and jails filled up with young kids. He will thank you some day for what you did.”

After the teen was released, reporters asked him about the alleged crime.

“I don’t want to see my mom cry. I apologize for stealing.”

Salters is set to make his first court appearance January 3, 2017.

[Featured Image By Oneword/iStock]