Man Charged With Endangering Youths
Child endangering charges were filed Monday against a man who took six boys from Albuquerque, N.M., for a purported field trip to Disneyland, but who instead allegedly forced them to peddle candy for him.
Gary Steven Davis, 37, was charged in Pomona with five counts of felony child endangering. Prosecutors said Davis forced the boys, who range in age from 11 to 16, to peddle candy in various areas, including shopping centers. They also said Davis would leave the children alone for up to 10 hours at a time.
During the trip to California, Davis and the boys stayed at a motel in an unsavory section of Pomona plagued by prostitution and drug dealing, according to authorities. The scheme was uncovered after one of the boys tried to sell a $10 candy bar to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Manuel Madrid at a Diamond Bar shopping center last Thursday.
The families of the children have since picked up their sons and taken them home.
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