A man from Solon, Ohio was charged with child endangering this week after his 7-year-old son was allegedly left home alone playing Grand Theft Auto , with an actual gun sitting on a nearby shelf.
According to a report from ABC 15 Arizona , 27-year-old Jasson Jones left his son in his apartment for approximately two hours on the morning of November 19, leaving him to play an unspecified version of Rockstar Games’ controversial title Grand Theft Auto in a bedroom. Although Jones told the young boy not to leave the room, the child reportedly got scared and was eventually spotted by neighbors just after 12 p.m., knocking on doors in the apartment complex where he and his father lived.
Upon arriving at the scene, police officers reportedly found a loaded handgun on a shelf in the bedroom closet, clearly visible to the boy while he was allegedly left alone to play GTA .
A separate report from ABC News 5 Cleveland , which spelled the first name of the Ohio father in question as “Jason,” offered more details on the case, citing responding officer Lt. Bruce Felton of the Solon Police Department. According to Felton, Jones had told his son, who was not named in the reports, that he was going grocery shopping. He added that the boy was left home alone not only for two hours but closer to three.
“The boy was very upset, crying and scared,” Felton told ABC News 5 Cleveland .
“He was also concerned that his father was going to be angry for not staying in the apartment.”
Dad in Ohio leaves son home alone playing Grand Theft Auto with a loaded handgun sitting nearby: https://t.co/SUGD77jJAL #abc15
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) November 25, 2017
Since the very first version of Grand Theft Auto was released in 1997, the popular video game franchise has been the subject of several controversies, with many sources claiming that it encourages violence in young gamers. Given the game’s violence, sexual content, profane language, references to drug and alcohol use, and other forms of mature content, Rockstar Games’ official website has the latest version , Grand Theft Auto V , rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) as Mature 17+.
Regarding the legality of Jasson Jones allegedly leaving his son at home to play Grand Theft Auto for two to three hours, Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital safety expert Jennifer Walker clarified that Ohio has no state laws on the minimum age for children to be left home alone. She told ABC News 5 Cleveland that it boils down to a parent’s best judgment, also noting that the child’s maturity for their age also plays a key role.
“We try and advise people to really think about the maturity level of the child,” Walker explained.
“For some kids that’s 10, for some others it’s 14 or 15 year olds. See how the child feels about it. See if they’re comfortable with it.”
ABC 15 Arizona noted that Jasson Jones turned himself in one day after the incident reportedly took place and was charged with one count of child endangering. His scheduled court date is set for December 13, with Solon police quoted as saying that more charges might be filed against Jones.
[Featured Image by Mario Tama/Getty Images]
