Deputy: Mother arrested for making son panhandle

PACE, Fla. (WALA) - The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jamie Spicer, 34, of Pace, Florida for child abuse after she allegedly forced her son to panhandle for her.

Davis Highway could be a dangerous place for any person to panhandle but that’s exactly where deputies said Spicer forced her young son to panhandle while she sat on a bench nearby.

When deputies arrived, they said they discovered the child was only 9 years old and was holding a sign that read, “Homeless, need help, God Bless.”

When deputies arrived, Spicer snatched the sign away from her son in an attempt to conceal it.

Spicer allegedly told deputies she had her son beg for money to pay for their motel room, which they had been living in.

“It was sad that the mom was trying to play on people’s emotions so they would feel bad for a small child and give money," said Matt Baxter with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, "Usually you see adults out there. It’s also a dangerous situation because a car could lose control and go into the median or something like that."

When asked why she attempted to conceal her son’s sign, Spicer told deputies that she was a substitute teach and did not want to get into any trouble.

Spicer was arrested and booked into the Escambia County Jail with no bond. The child was turned over to his father and Department of Children and Families was notified.