Shadow Lantry Story: When Inmates Stepped Up To Save The Day
When a one-year-old became trapped inside a locked vehicle in New Port Richey, an unlikely group of rescuers stepped forward and restored a little faith in humanity.
The story of Shadow Lantry and inmates proves that interesting crime in history stories don’t always come from hundreds of years ago. And sometimes true crime contains criminals, but not necessarily any intent to do harm. Read on for our choice this week.
New Port Richey, Florida
Sometimes stories float around social media, and the immediate reaction is for true crime folks to say “nope, I have a bridge to sell you,” but this story happened before AI, and checking it out for authenticity revealed that mainstream media covered it.
In New Port Richey, Florida in early February of 2019, Shadow Lantry filmed something that seemed unusual enough for Fox News to carry the story. It involved a one-year-old girl in danger and an unlikely group of rescuers serving time.
An Unusual Rescue
Per the outlet, a “baby was accidentally locked inside the car at the West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey.” Fortunately, it happened close to a bunch of guys who were working outdoors under guard.
When NBC News carried the story, the outlet explained that “Shadow Lantry, the mother of the girl, documented the entire rescue in a now-viral cellphone video.” That came when some “low-risk, non-violent offenders known as trusties” stepped up to offer some help.
The Dilemma
All the sites that covered the story described the dilemma that the parents of the little girl faced. The car had locked with the keys inside. Although the weather was relatively mild, nobody wanted to risk leaving the infant trapped any longer. And locksmiths wanted money they couldn’t afford to rescue the infant.
Deputies arrived, and a discussion started that ended with the dad admitting the only option was to break a window. That’s when the inmates and their supervising officer stepped up to help.
The Rescue
The original video was shared on Facebook by Shadow Lantry, but it’s not up there anymore. Still, these things have a way of surviving time online, so you can watch it further down in this article.
When Some Amazing Facts shared the story on Facebook this week, some folks doubted the truth of the story. The caption explained how using a coat hanger, the inmates soon got the car open. They also made sure the dad kept his face in the window so the baby didn’t get scared.
And that’s a very human touch that makes people smile.
Reactions to the Tale
At the time, Fox noted that “Sheriff Chris Nocco of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office told WZVN-TV that the band of work-release inmates ‘want to do the right thing in life.'”
That seemed like a good reaction. But to this day, people who read about the interesting crime in history story still appreciate the good news factor.
One person commented, “People [are] not 100% good or 100% bad. People make mistakes but have a heart and a soul…chose the wrong path…but they also have love to give and care…”
Meanwhile, others saw the funny side of it. Another response came with a smiley face emoji, and it read, “Former grand theft auto guys? Yeah, piece of cake.”
Another Similar Incident
Per another commenter, that wasn’t the only time that people serving time for true crime helped out. They related how they worked “in a hostel for young offenders.” When they locked their keys in a car, one young offender offered to help out.
The story related how “one of the lads grabbed a metal coat hanger and opened my car door.” There’s a slightly ironic side to the story as well, because apparently, “he took all his mates out to the carpark to show them how to do it!!!”
What are your thoughts about the compassionate inmates? Let us know in the comments below and come back here often for all your interesting crimes in history news and updates.
