Police say Alabama woman arrested on child cruelty charge after dragging child through store
by Jeff Gable
15 months ago | 15016 views | 102 102 comments | 25 25 recommendations | email to a friend | print
An Alabama woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon after police say she injured a child while dragging it through a store in Rome.

According to Floyd County Jail records:

Melissa Catherine Smith-Means, 37, of Gaylesville, Ala., was arrested by Rome police around 12:30 p.m. She was charged with felony first-degree cruelty to children.

Police say she was observed by customers and employees at a store on Broad Street, dragging a small child around by a backpack leash. The child had visible marks on the neck from the incident.

She remains in jail without bail.
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comments (102)
« "It" was wrong. wrote on Monday, Feb 15 at 09:16 PM »
"An Alabama woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon after police say she injured a child while dragging it through a store in Rome."

I think it's also wrong for the author to say "it" was drug through a store. He might as well have been talking about a sack of potatoes.
« captdan wrote on Monday, Nov 30 at 02:12 AM »
to keyboard-yes you are correct when i signed up

on this web-site, a couple of day's ago. there is in fact a foul language clause in the term's of use for the rn-t.com web-site, it's for member's as young as 13 year's of age.and i really hate to get involved in this fued that seem's to be going on about free advertising of other web-site's on this site. but i will ask this anonymous person you have said you would never treat your child in this way. just what make's you think i want my little girl reading

your post where you are cussing? yeah she has heard those word's before and yes she is old enough to sign up on this web-site. please stop the cussing.okay.I DO NOT WANT TO TREAT MY CHILD THAT WAY!
« keyboard wrote on Monday, Nov 30 at 01:51 AM »
ANONYMOUS- in past comment's on this subject, you have used the word's "lack of respect" and calling someone an "idiot". dude just go look in the mirrior and you will be looking at the one

person on this site that has 100% lack of respect

for the other people using this site.can you even read? if so you must have seen several other people asking you to cool it with the other site. is that a "lack of respect" on your part? or as you put it to another user are you

an "idiot". you have also broken the rule's of this web-site. in the term's of use, there is an

no foul language clause. and you break that rule

with every other post you send.can you not understand the rule's? or are you above playing by the rule's? or is it a total "lack of respect"

on your part?
« keyboard wrote on Sunday, Nov 29 at 11:11 PM »
ANONYMOUS- SIR OR MADAM,DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE BECOME OVERBEARING WITH YOUR PROMOTING THE OTHER SITE'S? PART OF THE USER'S ON THIS SITE ARE TIRED OF HAVING TO GO THROUGH

ALL OF YOUR GARBAGE PROMOTING THE OTHER WEB-SITE.

AND I REALLY DO NOT CARE IF YOU OWN THE OTHER WEB-SITE.IT'S GETTING REALLY HARD TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF YOUR SPAM,GARBAGE,JUST TO GET TO MAKE A COMMENT ON WHATEVER ISSUE THAT YOU ARE POSTING ALL OF THIS JUNK.PLEASE-PLEASE, STOP.

OKAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE OTHER SITE. GO LIVE ON THE OTHER SITE, AND LEAVE US.
« keyboard wrote on Saturday, Nov 28 at 10:00 AM »
i really did not want to get into this at all,but

as other user's of this site have stated better than i can.- anonymous, please stop cluttring up

this site promoting another web-site.even if you created the other site okay. you have given it enough free advertising on the rn-t.site.rn-t

please put a stop to this type of spam,garbage.
« SNUFFCAN102 wrote on Saturday, Nov 28 at 05:57 AM »
RN-T. I HAVE SEEN OTHER BLOGGER'S COMPLAIN ABOUT THE TYPE OF SPAM THAT ANONYMOUS AND OTHER'S ARE USING THIS WEB-SITE FOR AND I MUST AGREE WITH THE OTHER USER'S, IT'S TIME FOR THE RN-T. TO BLOCK ALL OF THIS ANNOYING SPAM, AND TAKE BACK YOUR WEB-SITE,RIGHT NOW. IF I MUST WADE THROUGH

ALL OF THIS JUNK I WILL JUST GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

I THOUGHT THIS WEB-SITE WAS FOR LIVLEY DEBATE'S

AND OPINION'S,NOT TO PROMOTE OTHER WEB-SITE'S,

EVERY DAY, ALL DAY LONG.- ANONYMOUS YOU HAVE PROMOTED THE OTHER SITE LONG ENOUGH, PLEASE GIVE IT A REST.AND JUST SO YOU WILL KNOW I'M GOING TO STAY ON RN-T, TO STOP THIS NONSENCE NOT ONY FROM YOU BUT THE OTHER BLOGGER'S WHO HAVE ABUSED THIS SITE,TO PROMOTE OTHER SITE'S.
« ROMEBOY wrote on Thursday, Nov 26 at 05:15 AM »
RN-T - CAN YOU NOT THIS REMOVE ALL OF THIS SPAM?

AND BLOCK PART OF THESE USER'S? I'M TIRED OF HAVING TO RUN THROUGH ALL THE GARBAGE THEY ARE POSTING. JUST TO GET TO A COMMENT BY SOMEONE

THAT I MAY WANT TO HAVE A DEBATE OR COMMENT ON.

THIS IS THE RN-T. WEB-SITE. YOU CLOWN'S PLEASE GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.RN-T. PLEASE TAKE BACK CONTROL OF THIS WEB-SITE.AND JUST WHAT HAPPENED ABOUT THE NO FOUL LANGUAGE CLAUSE? IS THAT NOT ENOUGH TO BAN PART OF THESE USER'S?
« CapitolG wrote on Tuesday, Nov 24 at 04:51 PM »
RN-T has been deleting my post and I haven't done anything wrong. But the spam has got to go!
« midnights_bane wrote on Tuesday, Nov 24 at 08:41 AM »
RN-T. Please remove spam and block these users. It is hard to have a meaningful debate when you have to wade through all this garbage. Thank you. MB
« Mipoco wrote on Sunday, Nov 22 at 11:15 AM »
Then there was the Boaz, Alabama mother who had her daughter riding atop the car in a cardboard box to hold it down. Arrested also.

« ianmclens wrote on Thursday, Nov 19 at 01:22 AM »
serves her right for putting her kid on a leash. free the leash kids!!!!! whooo!!!!
« anonymous wrote on Tuesday, Sep 29 at 11:33 AM »
What an idiot.

To the grandmother: OF COURSE you're going to come on here and say that she's a great mom. We wouldn't expect anything else from the suspect's family. what kind of person would drag their child across the ground in a PUBLIC PLACE? She obviously has issues. I would NEVER do something like that to my own child. It's sick and wrong. It is a CHILD, not a stuffed animal. What a lack of respect.
« anonymous wrote on Tuesday, Sep 22 at 04:59 PM »
This is absolutely ridiculous. This incident is no different than swinging your child in a blanket, or other silly games kids ask their parents to play. It probably wasn't spectacular judgement to do this in public, for obvious reasons, but it could hardly be called abuse. Overreact much?
« midnights_bane wrote on Wednesday, Sep 09 at 07:40 AM »
RNT please get rid of all the spam and block these users!!!!
« nancy smith wrote on Monday, Sep 07 at 09:02 PM »
I know this young lady. She is my daughter and a wonderful mom. The video looked bad, but a rope was never around his neck. There was no audio, probably because he was laughing. He is almost 4 and very articulate. He could have said, "Stop Mom" at any time. He also could have gotten up at any time. (which he did at the end of the video and hugged his mother's legs) The statements about visible bruises are lies. I was there within 5 minutes and he was not physically injured. He had a monkey pad under his head, his back, and his buttocks. For those of you who asked about his father, he has just left for his 5th army deployment. Pulling the boy looked bad, but she would never hurt him.

Watch for the truth to come out about this incident on an upcoming Dr. Phil show. To those of you who have reserved judgement until the full and truthful story is in, I thank you. And please stop knocking poor Alabama. We were all born and raised in Georgia.

We have discovered in a most unpleasant way that a lot of the news that is reported is not true and unverified. It has been a horrid time.

the grandmother
« toomuchrock wrote on Monday, Sep 07 at 02:04 PM »
I am CANDYCANE

this is message earlier was for

toomuchrock but the one that wrote the following message:

toomuchrock wrote on Monday, Aug 31 at 12:59 PM »

i obviously don't agree with child abuse... but, honestly, the child didn't appear to be in any distress to me. it looked like she was just unwilling to get up and walk. if she were being hurt, she could have stood up at any point.
« toomuchrock wrote on Tuesday, Sep 01 at 10:30 PM »
Nice site. Thank you.,
« toomuchrock wrote on Monday, Aug 31 at 01:00 PM »
don't know why, but my comment just showed up under the name "toomuchrock"
« toomuchrock wrote on Monday, Aug 31 at 12:59 PM »
i obviously don't agree with child abuse... but, honestly, the child didn't appear to be in any distress to me. it looked like she was just unwilling to get up and walk. if she were being hurt, she could have stood up at any point.
« anonymous wrote on Monday, Aug 31 at 05:44 AM »