Many of us have had that moment in the supermarket when, after spending a minute too long assessing the firmness of the pears, we have turned around and put our hands on the wrong trolley.
Aside from the odd glare from the trolley-owner, the mix-up usually doesn’t cause too much drama or damage.
It was an entirely different case in Maine, US recently, when a man accidentally wheeled away with another trolley – containing a sleeping two-month-old baby.
The incident occurred on October 20. According to local police, the unidentified man was perusing the aisles when he turned away from his trolley. When he turned back, he accidentally wheeled off with a father’s trolley - containing his child.
CCTV footage from the store backs up the man’s claims that it took him ‘less than a minute’ to realise his mistake. However, rather than return to the spot with the baby, the man panicked and left the trolley in another part of the store before coming back for his own one.
When the father – who had been momentarily distracted – realised that his baby was missing, he reported it store management who put the supermarket on lockdown.
The police were called, and the truth of the incident came to light. The man who mistakenly took the trolley containing the sleeping tot was said to be ‘mortified’.
In a statement released by the police, it was confirmed that criminal charges would not be pursued – although the man has been criticised for not going to management over his mistake.
“We are pleased that we have been able to determine exactly what happened in this instance,” a police rep said.
“It is a very frightening event for all parents and raised safety concerns in our community.
“It is important for our citizens to know that, as disturbing as this incident was, it was not an attempt to abduct a child.”
Thank heavens this all worked out OK in the end.
