Back in 2013, a Grand Prairie, TX, father named Ronald Johnson found a text message on his 15-year-old daughter's personal cell phone. She allegedly sent cruel text messages to the daughter of his new wife, who was seven months pregnant at the time. Ronald, believing his daughter was being rude and inappropriate in her correspondence, took her cell phone away from her as punishment.
He thought that was the end of it — but he was very, very wrong.
Instead of being able to punish his child in the way he felt most suitable, Ronald ended up getting arrested for confiscating his own teenage daughter's phone.
Say what?!
It's no wonder this story went viral, leaving parents all over the country scratching their heads in confusion.
Scroll down to see why Ronald got arrested for what would otherwise be an acceptable and reasonable parenting decision…
Ronald Johnson, a father living in Grand Prairie, TX, found what he believed was an inappropriate text message on his teenage daughter's phone.
Apparently, his daughter had been sending hurtful messages to his new wife's daughter. As punishment, Ronald decided to take the cell phone away.
He thought the matter was settled.
“I was being a parent," he told CBS. "A child does something wrong — you teach them what’s right. You tell them what they did wrong and you give them a punishment to show that they shouldn’t be doing that,” Jackson said.
But when Ronald's ex-wife learned he took the phone away, she was outraged. In fact, she filed criminal charges against her ex-husband, saying the cell phone was her property.
Even when Ronald had a chance to simply give the phone back, he refused. He said he wanted to stand his ground and show that when their daughter was in his care, he should be able to parent as he see fit.
"I didn’t want the police department telling me how to parent my child,” he said.
Ronald was handcuffed and arrested. He was released after posting $1,500 bond.
But nearly two years later, Ronald was charged with misdemeanor theft. He and his wife were absolutely shocked.
Ronald believed there was a lot more to the story, and that it was all made a bigger deal because his ex-wife happened to get remarried to a Grand Prairie police officer.
The police department denied the accusation.
Shockingly, Ronald's daughter testified against her own dad.
The judge, however, directed the jury to find Ronald not guilty. He was allowed to keep his daughter’s confiscated phone.
Ronald and his daughter's relationship was all but destroyed, and all because of a cell phone.
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