Reader comments
No felony charges in parents' attack

there was no reason for this familly to go and beat up those guys, if they wanted justice they should of
called the police instead of being the judge jury and executioner I undertand they want to protect the kids but thats not how you protect them

I have seen many children in my neighborhood wandering unsupervised sometimes for long periods of time. One neighbor would call me after my kids were in bed asking if I'd seen her 3 and 5 year old. Glad I never took them in, but sent them home, hoping she would let them in or even be home. I called CPS and they told me they couldn't dictate to people how to raise their kids, as long as they weren't beaten or starved. I think the authorities need to carefully question the neighbors to see how attentive these parents were before filing kidnapping charges. Maybe, just maybe they were being cared for in an appropriate way by neighbors who were sick of idiot parents allowing their kids to wander. I also wonder if it was a straight couple who took them in, if the uproar would be the same. People just might be jumping to the wrong conclusion about the motivation these men had for taking these kids in.

I admire those groups working for GLBT, also those online services like the one BiLoves. Many of my friends there have spent their careers working for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons. I think they are really very great.

My opinion(Holding its value as such)is that the lesson is two fold. 1) One should think twice about taking someone elses child behind closed doors without perental consent, as a violation of this magnitude can and may result in severe pain or death. And 2) If you are a parent of a child that you love dearly, it is your personal responsibility to do whatever it takes to prevent something like this from happening in the first place. Like knowing where your child is at all times. Oh and also, running to the police is not always the answer. As responsible citizens of planet earth we should all start being the solution to our problems, not victims to circumstance. It is the difference between making things happen and wondering what happened.

if the children were safe at that point, then there is no reason for some overly aggressive people to take the law into their own hands. since when did salt lake turn into the wild west where we gather our posse for some good old fashion street justice? i hope those raging idiots get prosecuted. and of course the man should still be investigated regarding the kidnapping allegations. they'll need to talk to the kids, but i imagine no charges will be filed against Bell and Fair.

The parents and their friends should have all been charged with felony assault. They should also be investigated for child neglect. It sounds like we have a bunch of idiots working in the Salt Lake County DA's office.

According to the article, the children had already been taken away to their home by their mother. They were safe at that point. The break-in occurred later through locked doors and windows, with multiple beatings with a broken eye socket and a TV smashed on heads. Can we justify a violent response? Looks like the neighbors might need serious protection from a dangerous family. Why didn't the mother quiz the kids, then call the police if there seemed to be something amiss? What if it really was just a innocent Samaritan trying to help out? If it was something else, Im sure the police will do what is needed. I thought only senseless violence happens in the middle east? What happened to love thy neighbor as thyself? What happened to not assuming guilt? What happened to not taking law into our own hands? What happened to turning the other cheek? One would think we as humans have risen above this type of base behavior. The Quakers really have taught us the way to respond with love in tragedy. We still have much to learn. The real tragedy here was the violence. To have true world peace we must live it.

Here we go...The actions of these parents where very wrong and they should be charged. They should have called the police and let them handle it. But please there is nothing that suggest it is a hate crime. Give me a brake. These people were clealy out of control and would have done the same thing to a hedorsexual. So don't play the pitty party.

I agree also with outraged: the parents and friends should be prosecuted. There was no reason at all to inflict that kind of physical punishment to that couple. Looks like they are a bunch of salvages that know no law or order in society. It would be interesting to know how long it took for the parents to realize the kids were not with them. Did the man take the kids and then just wait for the parents or did he try to look for them while the kids were in his home?

I have also seen kids wandering outside without any supervision. I have even seen little kids sitting at the porche while mom and dad are "in business". Parents need to be more responsible.

If everybody calls police everytime there are little kids walking around the neighborhood by themselves, maybe the parents finally will learn the lesson.

You all need to read the other articles on this story, it said that Bell admited to going thourgh a window to take the kids. This was done when the family was asleep. They got what the deserved.

This article fails to inform the public that the children were at home in bed when they were taken from the home. The parents went into the children�s room to find one child in tears and heard their other children crying from a distance. The sounds of the cries lead them to Mr. Bell�s bedroom. It was then that Mr. Bell used the excuse that the kids just wandered into his house. This was from an earlier report by the Deseret News. I'm not saying that this article is even correct but they are pitching people against each other based on really bad facts. So, Deseret News, what story is correct or are they both embellished?

I have to agree with Outraged the parents and their friends should be charged with numerous felony counts of aggravated assault. The DA's office must truly be filled with total idiots.

And just how long was Bell planning on having the children over until he notified the parents? A responsible person would've notified the parents (If he knew who they were) immediately, regardless of what time of day or night it is. If my child somehow got outside in the middle of the night while I was asleep and ended up at the neighbors, I sure as heck hope they would notify me as soon as he showed up at their house. That's what makes me think that Bell had some other motive for having the children over. If he was planning on contacting the parents why wait, contact them immediately.

Oh, so now if your GAY and you see some children that you want, you can just take them..... Because anything you do you are protected by HATE CRIMES... Okay???

A month after the assaults the Utah Pride Center FINALLY speaks up and then its only to defend a rigged judicial process (that like the media has already convicted the victims in advance). Given the one sided police investigation and the D.A.'s political agenda, I seriously question if Bell can receive a fair hearing, which is terrifying considering the potential sentence he could get. But because these are gay males, South Salt Lake PD and the District Attorneys office seem to be bending over backwards to make sure these assaults are not defined or prosecuted as a Hate Crime.

Check the State records. How many gay males in Utah (despite their disproportionately higher rates of victimization) have EVER been protected since the Hate Crimes Bill became law? Coincidence? I don't think so. If this railroading is what gay victims of violent crimes can expect from the judicial system, then the Hate Crimes law is just a cynical public relations ploy.

I find the Utah Pride Centers belated response disappointing (but not surprising). If these same events had happened to a lesbian couple, their lesbian-centric leadership would have mobilized that day and South Salt Lake would be in flames.

Susan and Nathan, you are both prime examples that the media can swindle anyone to believe what it wants you to believe.
Nathan, Deseret News does not have all the facts, and if you think they do, I'm very sorry for you. How do you know Bell had them for hours, or even one hour?
And Susan, your comment is just ridiculous. I'm glad that you know all the facts about the story as well. That Bell TOOK the children rather than helping them (do we really know which is true?), and that he was doing it because he thought he was protected by the Hate Crimes Law and could take any child he wanted because of this protection. Give me a break. You are very naive.

I must admit that based on the sketchy information initially available (that missing children had been found in the house next door, crying) I found it perffectly understandable that the children's family had knocked the captors (an appropriate term given those sketchy "facts") around a bit.

Now, it appears that the family was completely in the wrong. The children had been secured and were safe. The response at that point became nothing more than aggravated assault. Including on someone who, apparently, was completely innocent.

I will be interested to continue to learn more about the particulars of this case. If the investigation concludes with the same basic information as provided in this article, it would seem inevitable that the family of those children will be facing some time behind bars. Maybe they will be in the same prison as Mr. Bell.

I agree with you. You come into my home and take one of my children, see what happens. Don't play the hate card here. This is a predator picking on young children for his lustful satisfaction.

Our DA office would reject any notion that a crime actually was committed. Lets look at the evidence. Two men severely beaten with the accusers admitting to beating Bell and his partner. Clear evidence..clear admission. They have not been charged, they have not been taken from their homes or loved ones. On the other side, DJ Bell, accused kidnapper sits in jail waiting trial, with absolutely NO evidence that he TOOK the children against their will. Doesn't something seem seriously wrong with this picture?

The family was having an ALL night party. Who knows what all was going on. Reports state the children went to Bell's house looking for their parents. Where were the parents? Are we as citizens supposed to turn away children in need?

I am completely appalled that our DA's office is being so ridiculous about this action. They have clearly set a precedent that it is ok for someone to beat another person and get away without punishment.

We will all remember this at election time Mr. Salt Lake District Attorney. You should start packing your boxes to leave your position now!

the children weren't out walking by themselves, they were in their beds and this Bell guy took them out of their home..........READ THE REST OFTHE STORY -

In my opinion they didn't get enough, and hopefully, the next weirdo that takes a child might think twice!!!