TAMPA, Fla. — A father and older brother, Paul Micklow said he's always naturally been a protector. It's why he and his wife, Bianca, opened a locksmith business in Pasco County two years ago.
Now the Micklow's want to help prevent another incident. Incidents like what happened in Hernando County last week, from happening to another family.
Last Thursday morning, 2-year-old Joshua “JJ” Rowland left his home while his parent was asleep, according to police.
He wandered off into a nearby field and went missing for almost 24 hours. It caused a massive search before a retired Marine volunteer found the toddler safe.
Watching the search unfold hit close to home for the Micklow’s.
“We literally go into thousands of homes per year and we hear these stories about kids getting out and getting into the pool area, kids getting out through the back door,” said Paul Micklow, co-owner of AmeriKey Locksmith in New Port Richey. “You’re like, thank God JJ’s story ended the way that it did, but sometimes it doesn’t.”
Not only do the Micklows live near where the little boy was found, but the couple also has a 1-year-old and 4-year-old of their own. After putting out a Facebook post offering to install deadbolts for free, they got an overwhelming response.
“It’s hundreds, hundreds and hundreds,” Bianca Micklow said. “I love it because people they want to secure their home, but it’s also sad because it has happened to so many parents. All the parents that are reaching out or grandparents have a story to tell.”
The Micklow’s just ordered 500 one-way deadbolts to start giving out. They’re offering up to two free installations for houses and the locks will be put at the top of doors, out of kids’ reach.
It’s a service that typically costs $325. The couple said they wanted to get rid of any financial barriers preventing people from getting good locks and educate people about how to properly secure their homes.
“This can happen in the blink of an eye to anyone,” Paul said. “You can be a good parent, a bad parent - doesn’t matter what it is - it can literally happen to anybody, and it has happened to us as a parent.”
It will cost the Micklow’s thousands of dollars to do the free installations, but they said the payoff of keeping their neighbors and children safe will be worth it.
You can message AmeriKey Locksmith on Facebook or call the store to schedule a free installation.
As of right now, there’s no end date to the free offer. Eventually, the couple said they want to expand it into a nonprofit organization to keep the effort going for years to come.
