Officers used a drone during the Kissimmee disturbance before the children escaped safely and a 33-year-old man surrendered.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Children were safely removed from a Florida home after one child held a handwritten “HELP US” sign against a window as police responded to a domestic disturbance, authorities said.
Kissimmee Police Department officers responded to the home in the Flora Ridge community on Oct. 26 after family members reported that children were inside and feared for their safety. Police said officers used a drone to assess the residence and found the children hiding together in a room. During the operation, one child held the handwritten message at a window where officers could see it.
The incident ended with the children safely outside the home and Andre Janard Smithson, 33, in custody. Police said the children were able to leave while Smithson was distracted. Members of the department’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team and Crisis Negotiation Team assisted before Smithson surrendered peacefully.
Smithson was arrested on a charge of false imprisonment and also had an outstanding active warrant, according to police and jail information cited by news organizations. An arrest and criminal charge are allegations, and they do not establish guilt. No attorney information for Smithson was immediately available in reports published Wednesday.
Police have not publicly disclosed how many children were inside the residence, their ages or their relationship to Smithson. Authorities also have not said how long the children had been seeking help. PEOPLE reported that the Kissimmee Police Department released an image of the handwritten sign on Nov. 10, more than two weeks after the incident.
Additional details reported by FOX 13, citing information from police, said officers made phone contact with the children and that they told officers they were afraid and were not being allowed to leave. The station also reported that police spoke with a woman in the residence who said she had argued with Smithson and that she and a 5-month-old child had not been allowed to leave a bedroom.
The handwritten message became a key part of the police response after officers deployed the drone. Images released by authorities showed the simple message held against the window as police worked outside the residence. Police said the children escaped while officers kept Smithson distracted, allowing them to reach safety without injury being reported.
After the children were out, SWAT officers and crisis negotiators continued working to resolve the standoff. Police said negotiators communicated with Smithson by phone before he surrendered without further confrontation. He was then taken to the Osceola County Jail.
Local residents told news outlets they saw the heavy police response in the neighborhood. Jonathan Chapman, a nearby resident, told WKMG that the situation was “heartbreaking for the kids.” William Cosme, who said he regularly travels through the area, told the station it was unfortunate that circumstances had reached that point.
The Kissimmee Police Department described the outcome as a safe resolution and credited officers and specialized units involved in the response. Authorities had not publicly released additional information about the children or announced further charges connected to the Oct. 26 incident as of Wednesday.