Fla. dad takes 5-year-old on armed robbery spree, say cops

(CBS/WKMG) ORLANDO, Fla. - Armed robbery is one career path most parents would probably steer their children away from, but Florida's Orange County Sheriff's Department says that one father did just  the opposite by taking his 5-year-old to "work" with him - robbing convenience stores.

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Police say that James Tindell, 30, had his toddler son in the car with him when he robbed at least two Orange County convenience stores Monday, according to CBS affiliate WKMG.

Deputies responded to an alarm set off by a clerk at an area Kangaroo convenience store Monday evening, which indicated that an armed robbery had taken place. The clerk told deputies a man with a box cutter robbed the store and fled with cash in a dark green SUV.

As the investigation progressed, investigators discovered that two other area convenience stores had been similarly robbed earlier that day in nearby Apopka, Fla., about 15 miles north of Orlando. Police in Apopka told sheriff's investigators that the suspect had a boy in the SUV with him at those robberies, WKMG reported.

Apopka police arrested Tindell late Monday night and say his son was in the SUV with him at the time of the arrest. They say the clerk at the Kangaroo store identified Tindell as the man who robbed her, according to the station.

Tindell was charged with armed robbery with a deadly weapon, child abuse and culpable negligence.