SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Sioux Falls Police don’t know what a man’s intentions were when he held a five-year-old girl’s hand and gave her a couple of dollars at the Walmart on South Louise.
Officer Sam Clemens says the girl was near her mother when 41-year-old Thomas Fernandez approached. Clemens says when the mother saw Fernandez holding her daughter's hand she yelled at him.
Fernandez let go of the girl's hand, walked to the entrance and was stopped by store security.
The girl says Fernandez did not squeeze her hand or try pulling her away.
He’s charged with disorderly conduct.
As the shopping mania of Black Friday draws closer, Sioux Falls police advise keeping your head on a swivel.
Clemens says watch your children and belongings. He says kids are difficult because they can wander away from parents, but he says you must keep them near you and an eye on them.
Clemens says most holiday calls are for purses left in a shopping cart and then stolen.
He says the holidays offer opportunities for criminals.