Inset: Andre Smithson (Osceola County Jail). Background: The "help us" sign put by kids allegedly being held in a home by Smithson (Kissimmee Police Department).
A 33-year-old man in Florida is accused of holding a woman and three young children in a home against their will, with the victims escaping only after the kids posted a sign that read "help us" in the window.
Andre Janard Smithson was arrested and charged with one count of false imprisonment in connection with the alleged incident, authorities announced.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Kissimmee police officers responded to a call at an apartment complex in the 3300 block of Whitestone Circle shortly before 7:35 p.m. on Oct. 25 after a woman reported that her sister was arguing with Smithson. The caller told police her son was in the apartment and had told her that Smithson was beating the woman.
When officers arrived, they repeatedly knocked on the door and called for the woman and Smithson to come to the door, but no one answered. They heard no yelling or screaming inside the apartment.
Police spoke with the woman's mother, who said she had been at the apartment earlier that day but left in the afternoon. She later received a text from a grandchild who said he heard the woman and Smithson arguing. The mother said three other children and another adult were inside the residence.
Officers eventually contacted one of the children using the grandmother's phone, according to the affidavit. The child said Smithson would not let the children leave and that they were afraid of him.
"A drone was used to observe the room that the children were in," the affidavit states. "The children did not look distressed and did not have any physical injuries but were asking for help. The children wrote the word 'help' from inside the bedroom and stated they were in fear because Andre would not let them exit the apartment. Three children were inside a guest room."
At the time, Smithson and the woman were in the master bedroom with their 5-month-old daughter, police said.
When police finally got through to Smithson on the phone, he allegedly said "he was not going to exit the apartment immediately due to wanting to spend time with [redacted] before going to jail," the affidavit says.
Officers asked him to let the woman and children leave, but he allegedly refused. Police then directed the kids to escape while they distracted Smithson. He surrendered shortly after and was arrested.
The woman declined to provide a written statement and said she was "not seeking prosecution." In an oral statement, she said Smithson was visiting their child and they argued. She denied any violence, but said "she was not allowed to leave the bedroom or apartment."
Smithson denied trying to keep the children inside, per the affidavit.
Smithson is being held in the Osceola County Jail without bond. It was not immediately clear when he was scheduled to appear in court.