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E-mail StoryWhy did the boy lie about the sump accident?
| Thursday, Mar 20 2008 4:29 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Mar 21 2008 7:34 AM
The tragic death of Zane Anthony Newton on Wednesday has left many asking one question: Why would his playmate lie about what happened?
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Zane was killed when a hole he was playing in collapsed. His unnamed friend told the family — and police — that Zane had been shot and kidnapped.
The main reason children lie is to try to stay out of trouble, a Bakersfield psychologist said Thursday.
Dean Haddock said the 9-year-old boy lied to protect himself.
Both Zane and the boy had been warned not to play in the dirt hole that collapsed, family members said.
So the boy who came up with the kidnapping story — complete with a black car with a white door and a masked man with a gun — was trying to cover up his own misdeeds, said Haddock, executive director of Community Counseling and Psychological Services.
Haddock began his career as a child psychologist, but now works mainly with adults.
John Hefner, retired principal of Fruitvale Junior High School, agreed the child “was petrified he would get into trouble.”
“Children don’t always use logic and good decision making judgments,” Hefner said.
Both men noted that the child told a very detailed, elaborate lie.
That indicates the boy is bright, Haddock said.
“The more elaborate the lie, the smarter the child,” Haddock said.
Hefner noted, “Some of the things I’ve heard are absolutely unbelievable. Some have really good stories.”
Police said the child’s story was strange, but they had nothing refute it and had to act.
In fact, a couple of circumstances lent credence to the boy’s story, Sgt. Greg Terry said.
A neighbor heard what he thought was a backfire at the time of the alleged kidnapping and wondered if it was a gunshot instead, Terry said.
Zane’s friend said the kidnapping was in retaliation for Zane beating up another boy, and someone else confirmed that Zane and another boy had recently been in a fight.
Police put forth every resource they had in an effort to find the kidnapper since there was nothing to prove the boy was lying, Terry said. At the same time, they looked at other possibilities and kept in mind that the boy’s story might not be true, he said.
The boy won’t be charged with falsely reporting a crime because of his age. It will be hard enough for the boy to deal with what’s happened, Terry said.
Terry said he personally felt a mix of emotions when Zane’s body was found and the kidnapping story was proven false.
“On the one hand, I was relieved to know we didn’t have this monster in the county who shot and kidnapped a boy in broad daylight,” Terry said. “On the other hand, I wished this ended with him being found alive.”
Haddock noted that the younger a child is the “less aware they are of the consequences of a lie.”
In this case, the family and neighborhood of Zane are wondering if they found out the truth right away could Zane have been discovered in time to save his life.
Haddock said it’s important to know that very young children know how to lie to try to stay out of trouble.
“We have to teach them to tell the truth,” he said.