On March 25th, 2026, officers responded to a domestic disturbance. A 14-year-old girl, a fresh facial injury, and a suspect who had already left. The victim is a minor. That single fact changes the charge structure entirely. Probable cause was established before Tracy ever came back. Visible injury, victim statement, corroborating photographs. Under Illinois versus Gates, the totality of circumstances standard was met. What's going on? I just got to have to talk to my daughter. I don't I can't do this. >> Okay. Where's your daughter at? She's in her room. Okay. Where's her room at? I ain't never been in the house. Okay. I can't do this. Just this room right here? This room right here, boss? Yes, sir. Hi. I'm Officer Childress. So, what's going on? Okay. She's on the phone. Okay. Come on here in the light where I can see. We'll step right over here, okay? Okay. You got a pretty good scratch going on there. You want me to get it checked out? Have them clean it up for you? No, that's okay. >> Okay. So, what caused this tonight? I don't really know. Whenever I got home, she was just kind of screaming at my dad. And then she just kind of got mad at me, and I don't know what I did, but she kept saying, "I know what I did." I don't know. Okay. Okay. So, what I'm going to have you do is I'm going to have you look to your right. Keep your eye open. You can close it. I'm going to try to take a picture, okay? You got any You got any other marks? She grabbed you by your arms at all anywhere, anything like that? That's the only thing you think she scratched you with a fingernail, maybe? She's scratched me before, like right here. That's where she grabbed me. That was a while back. Yeah, like a week or so. Okay. Okay. How old are you? 14. 14? Okay. You want to put a pair of shoes on real quick? Just think that way if you come out on the porch, I'm going to step out here real quick and talk to my sergeant real quick, okay? She done smacked the glasses off her face. She's got a big old scratch on this side of her face from where she smacked them off. I got scratches all over my hand from a few days ago. >> Okay. So, these aren't today. That one's fresh. That's fresh, right? My daughter has pictures on her phone of where my wife has attacked me. Try to help him locate her. >> Okay. I'm I'm going to work on these. This is not right. This is not right. >> I mean, no. We're going to They're going to go try to locate her. Um She went that way, yes, sir. >> Okay. She goes She goes to the bowling alley a lot, doesn't she? Yes, sir. She got Hey, Roger. She goes to the bowling alley a lot. Okay. I didn't do this unless my daughter wanted me to. Yeah. I dude, I know. So, here's what I'm going to You want to put a pair of shoes on for me and grab your wallet so you got your ID, and I've got your daughter's going to come out here to my car as well so that we can get the papers filled out, okay? This is just ain't right, man. So, he's going to grab some shoes, and you guys can come out to my car, okay? CD13, if you got a 28, if you want to try to put that plate into flock so we can get an eye on it if it tries to go anywhere. All right. So, are you guys willing to give me statements and everything? What do we have to do to make her happier with us? Well, I mean, at this point, I mean, it's a domestic situation with marks and stuff, so I'm going to The state's going to take over either way. But, I'm giving you an opportunity um if you're willing to give me a written statement as well to go along with it, okay? Okay. You're willing to do that? Yes. Okay. Um I have video as well. You have video as well? Um of her beating on the door. Okay. And that's from tonight? Yes. Okay. There's scratches on the You think you email that to me? My email's right down here at the bottom whenever you get a chance. You don't have to do it right now. So, that way I've got that that added in as well, okay? >> [snorts] >> I have several. It's Okay. Any of the ones pertaining to tonight's event? She's got a black eye and everything. She tells us she's going to call the lawyer every time. Yeah, I know. She She likes to call us, too. So, I've got two statements, okay? So, I have you You can write yours. So, name, date of birth, address, good phone number for you. You just write yours like you're telling a story, okay? And then you'll sign right here. And then for hers, you write at the top, be like, "I, the parent of" and put her name and everything. She can still put her name, date of birth, and address. You don't have to put her phone number down. Um I am the parent of assisting her with writing this statement, okay? And then from there, she can write or you can write it for her. Write the statement out, and have her sign at the bottom, okay? And this is the best way to get this taken care of cuz I mean, either way, with marks like that, the state's going to take over. I'm going to do it. But, I give everybody an option. >> your mom. You know that. What this? But, no matter the circumstances situation, it does not make any of this okay, ever. She's a good woman, though. And she does have her good days. Being here, I pulled up here and she's waving down and talk to me and, you know, we've talked and stuff. She She can be very, very good person, but it's it's the drinking that's the problem, for sure. So, if you guys want to I love my honey. You okay with writing one of these? Okay. Yes, sir. Yeah. We'll go ahead and get this wrote out, okay? And I'm going to I'm not leaving. I'm going to stay here until everything's done and over with, okay? Um I'm going to get everything added in the computer and stuff like that. And then we'll we'll go from there, okay? My guys are looking to try and find her right now that way she doesn't hurt somebody. So, there's one for you and one for her. I don't have any extra pens or else I'd give you an extra pen, but I'm out. I'm not trying to be overdramatic about my wife. I just I love her. I just It's really hard for me to break with this after 17 years. No matter what she does, I always I want the best for her. I understand. I don't care how bad I look. And this may be the first step to getting her the help she needs, you know what I mean? I just I know it's hard just for me to really I don't think that she needs that help, you know? I just I think she's a good woman cuz I love her. Yeah. She's all right. Can't get no better than her. She's beautiful. CD13, I've added the male reporting party to the state returns. The victim is going to be 14-year-old daughter. I think I remember you one time coming over and Yeah, I did I did fields with you out here and I was like, "You're not You're good to be driving." No, that's just I'd do anything take the blame for her, man. I really would. I would I would do anything. I'd sacrifice my life. I know, man, but there comes a point, you know, especially in this situation with the getting the kids involved and stuff. It changes things. That That ChatGPT is I was talking to it about the situation that was going on while I was filming. It was telling me what I should be doing with my daughter. And you don't have like Life360 or anything with her that tracks her location or anything? Okay. I just always like to ask cuz you never know who's got it and stuff, and that comes in handy sometimes. And you don't have any marks on you other than these that happened a couple of days ago. >> Couple days ago? Videos of what what my daughter's taken. Okay. She's taking pictures for me to prove documentation. Yeah. Okay. So, we're going to worry about about today's thing real quick. Okay. So, what I'm going to do is we're going to go and look for her. See if we can locate her. If she comes back, call us, okay? Um that way we can do the rest of what we have to do. I think that's that's probably going to be our our best option. She's a very good woman. No, I know. And I know she's not going to cause us any issues, but I mean, with what what we've got here and everything, you know, it's not something that is taken lightly by the state. So, um we'll see if we locate her. If she comes back, just call us. Don't say that you called us. Like, as soon as she pulls up, just call us and say, "Hey, she's back at the house." We'll come up. But, we're going to try and locate her. And that way we can How's it going? It's going. What's going on tonight? Not too much. Not too much? Yeah. Well, that's not what we've been told. Okay. So, we got a call earlier that you and your daughter got into it. No. My daughter has been in trouble. Yeah, she lost her phone. Okay. So, you guys didn't get into a fight or anything? No. So, what was your guys' argument about? Cuz you guys got in an argument. We were here earlier. >> She She lost her phone. Yeah. >> Okay. So, you guys just were arguing about her losing her phone? >> Yeah, she got in trouble and lost her phone. She was back talking to him. How'd she get the mark on her eye? I have no claim. I wasn't here for that. Well, we were here right after you left, and it was there. So, it had to have happened sometime pretty quick. >> Okay. Well, it wasn't from me. Okay. Well, she's claiming it is. Okay. I haven't got to speak with my daughter since I got home. >> Well, you're probably not going to cuz you're going to be under arrest for domestic violence, okay? Tracy denied drinking. The officer smelled it. She denied the injury. Her daughter's face contradicted her. Both denials carry independent criminal exposure. False statements to law enforcement are chargeable. The DUI was correctly declined. Tracy was standing outside the vehicle when the officer arrived. Corpus delicti in DUI law requires direct observation of operation. Without it, no conviction holds. >> Please, Officer let me talk to my daughter. >> no. Come here. Okay. I I did not >> Are you on the road? Yes, sir. Have you been drinking in there? No. Are you sure? Cuz I can smell it. So, you want to try again? No, sir. All right. I mean, you were in your car, so you're not getting a DUI even though I saw you park it, so I mean, I saw the lights on it, so but this is I mean, they gave us statements My daughter? Yeah. My daughter? that you hit her. And she's got I mean, it's a giant scratch on her On my daughter? Yes. That's why you're going to jail tonight. Okay, can I please speak with my daughter? I can go ask them if she wants to talk to you, but no. >> Please. Police department. Honey. Honey. Tell them this is not right. Honey. You got to talk to your daughter. Yes, that's what I'm trying to do. Sister. You're not going to stand out here and yell. No, don't come out here. >> I'm not stepping out. Daughter. You are stepping out. I just watched you do it. >> like that, sir. I don't know if you want to go in and try to get her boss cuz I I tried knocking, but I don't know if she did. >> what's going on. Emma, will you grab her some shoes? Yes, sir. Please, Timmy. Well, it's not up to them at this point. We >> My daughter, I'm sorry. Well, it's not up to your daughter either at this point. She's asking to talk to you. Do you want to talk to her? Okay. You don't have to. I just told her I would come ask. Okay. So, here's the deal. She's going to jail um because she's got injuries, so it doesn't I mean, you guys don't have a say in it anymore, okay? Even if you change your mind, it's up to you the state's attorney. She'll see a judge tomorrow and then she'll have a 72-hour no contact order, okay? So, if she's calling, texting, call us because she can't do that, okay? All right. Okay, honey. Does she have shoes that you want to send with her that are hers? Do you guys have any other questions or anything for us? No? I just I don't know. I just don't know. Okay. Like I said, at when we see an injury and we get a call, I the state takes over at that point, okay? Like that's very clearly a fresh new injury. She's claiming she doesn't know anything about it. She's saying she hadn't had anything to drink. I can smell it on her, you know. She's lucky that she got out of the car. I was standing on the porch when I saw her cuz if she had gotten in the car, if I would have seen her in the car still, she'd have a DUI as well. >> Is she here? She was standing on the porch when I drove by. >> She was screaming at Aiden on the phone to go open the door and he she was cussing at him. Yeah, and there was also she was drinking too because there was an alcohol bottle. Like I said, I can smell it. I don't know. I I can smell it, so I wondered cuz she was standing out there and it looked like you guys weren't letting her in, but then as soon as I got out of the car, she got in, so did you unlock it for her? You're not in any trouble. I don't care if your mom's I went for a run to talk If your mom's yelling at you, you're going to open the door. I know I would. She didn't. I did. Yeah, okay. You're not in any trouble. It's okay. All right. Well, like I said, she'll be going with us and then she'll see a judge tomorrow, okay? Well, I mean, maybe maybe this will just be the wake-up call to get her to stop doing this, you know what I'm saying? I mean, something's got to give if if the drinking leads to this kind of action, it can't be allowed, okay? What is a giant iguana? We love her to death. Have a good night or a better night anyway. Is that okay? What? I You can if you want. You don't have to. Honey, please. Are you kidding me? I want to Can I talk to my >> She does not want to talk to you. Can I please talk to my daughter? She doesn't want to talk to you. >> kidding me? >> [snorts] >> Honey, give me a hug, please. Stay down here. He can come down here. He can come down here if he wants to. Honey, give me a hug, honey, please. Please. Yeah, you can give her a hug if you want to. Honey. I'm I'm really sorry. Please. Well, she did. That's why she's going to jail. >> not do anything wrong. I have not touched my child. Why would you say that? I I I Are you Are you kidding me? After everything I have been through with you All right, that's enough. That's okay. All right. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Get in the car, Tracy. This has nothing to do with them. When we see an injury When we see an injury, the state takes over. Watch your head as you go in. Yes, sir. Officer Childress A minus Evidence documented. Mandatory arrest applied correctly. DUI declined for the right legal reason. Tracy C minus Aiden B plus Three lessons from this call. Visible injury removes all discretion. Mandatory arrest is the law, not a choice. A child victim automatically triggers a parallel felony charge. And declining an unprovable DUI is sound judgment, not leniency. Let us know if there is an interaction or legal topic you would like us to discuss in the comments below. Thank you for watching. Oh, yeah, she's she's saying she's not, but I can smell it. The little boy I I didn't. The lights were on and so I thought she was sitting in it. And right as I got level with it, the lights shut off and she was standing at the door. Yeah. And they had they had her locked out. But I guess she was on the phone screaming at the little boy cussing him out to let her in. And I was like, well, as long as I keep her locked out, I can get to her. And right as I parked, she walked in. I was like She's not going to I got she walked right back out to talk to me. I was like, all right. Yeah, no, unless you see her driving, you're not going to get a conviction on it, so Josh won't go on it for sure. That's Yeah, I mean, let her talk. Just