Columnist Arrested for Briefly Leaving Son at McDonald’s After Argument

A columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram apologized in a column for briefly leaving his 11-year-old son at a McDonald’s after an argument. But the mea culpa did not persuade police in Watauga, Texas.

Writer Dave Lieber was charged with child abandonment with intent to return and child abandonment/endangering a child after publishing the column, the Austin American-Statesman reports. The case is prompting debate over whether police overreacted or the columnist unnecessarily put his son in danger.

Lieber explains in his column that his son was pushing his buttons and he became so angry that he ordered his son to walk home a few blocks away. He stormed out of the restaurant and drove away. A customer called 911 to report the argument, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports in its account.

Police at the scene did not make an arrest. Instead, “The police officer gave me a stern lecture about being a responsible parent,” Lieber wrote. “I hope my son and I learned from the experience. We both have to calm down and learn to love and live with each other better.”

A spokeswoman for the arresting Watauga police department, Detective Tiffany Ward, said both charges are felonies. "Apparently, the child was attempting to get into the car as Mr. Lieber had exited the parking lot," Ward told the newspaper.