Dad says he left kids at McDonald’s for job interview. Then GA cops check video
The father of three young children left alone at a McDonald’s said he was at a job interview, but Georgia deputies say video footage proves otherwise.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office on April 2 released new details in the case of the 24-year-old man accused of leaving his children — ages 10, 6 and 1 — in a play area at the fast-food restaurant in Augusta, according to The Augusta Press.
He was arrested March 22 and charged with deprivation of a minor, the outlet reported, citing deputies.
McClatchy News isn’t naming the man because he isn’t charged with a violent crime.
Attorney information for the man wasn’t immediately available.
Deputies were called to McDonald’s about the abandoned children, who witnesses said had been unsupervised for more than an hour, WJBF reported, citing an incident report released by the sheriff’s office Wednesday.
McClatchy News reached out to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office for more information April 3 but didn’t immediately hear back.
At the time, the children’s father told deputies that he and his kids were at McDonald’s because he applied for a job at a motel earlier that day and was waiting to hear back about a possible interview, The Augusta Chronicle reported, citing the sheriff’s office.
The man left McDonald’s to “drop something off” around 4:30 p.m., according to witnesses who heard him talking on the phone, according to the newspaper.
The man’s 10-year-old daughter spoke to deputies and said she, her siblings and her father had walked from their apartment to the restaurant, where he left them, The Augusta Press reported.
She contacted her mother at 6 p.m., and her mom arrived at McDonald’s 12 minutes later, the outlet reported, citing deputies.
The 10-year-old added that her dad “was supposed to deliver a backpack to her mother at The Hendrix Apartments and had been told that he must take the children with him,” according to the sheriff’s office as reported by The Augusta Press.
The man eventually returned to McDonald’s at 6:18 p.m., The Augusta Press reported, citing deputies.
Investigators looked into the man’s whereabouts and confirmed he applied to work at a nearby motel, according to WJBF. Surveillance video provided by the motel’s manager showed him “arriving at 1:12 p.m. and leaving at 1:37 p.m,” the station reported.
“Based on the video evidence and the timeline provided by all parties involved, it was determined that (the father) was not engaged in a job interview or application process during the time the children were left unattended,” the sheriff’s office said, WJBF reported.
In their report, authorities said the man acknowledged walking between the McDonald’s and the apartment complex while he was away, according to the Augusta Press.
The case drew the attention of ex-NFL player Antonio Brown, who launched a GoFundMe campaign on the father’s behalf, according to The Augusta Chronicle.
“A dad just trying to find a way to make money for his family,” Brown wrote. “I know he shouldn’t just leave his kids, but some people don’t have the means for babysitting, etc. This GoFundMe is set in place to help this man.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Dad says he left kids at McDonald’s for job interview. Then GA cops check video."