Here is the statement from Patrick Nett to the Welcome to Springfield MO Facebook group. Sounds to me like it got blown out of proportion and was a simple mistake. *edit: Linked above but for those without Facebook.

> Hi everyone, > Patrick, owner of Thai Express here, the guy that’s been on the KY3 news recently. I’m here to share with you my side of the story. Warning, I am going to post every little detail I can remember or think of, so this is going to be quite a long post. By the time I finish writing it, it will probably be airing on KY3 (10pm tonight). The reason I am posting this is because I’m not particularly satisfied with how KY3 is building up the story. While I admit fault, I feel like the previews are making some people think of it a lot worse than I believe it to really be. I was contacted and interviewed by Ashley Reynolds, and she was nothing but nice and friendly to me when I arrived. I had full faith that the full story would be released as truthfully and as unbiased as possible. I still hope that will remain true, but I am posting here today, right now, just in case it isn’t.

> On May 16, 2022 I helped promote a fundraising campaign as well as promised a 5% sales donation for financial assistance in support of the death of Mackenzie Huynh. Please keep in mind, I did not create the gofundme campaign. I shared the link, but also allowed customers to donate at our store if they wished to avoid fees. For that week, we collected $39 in cash donations, $0 in credit card donations, and 5% of our weekly sales for that week equates to exactly $1,810.51. This brings us to a grand total of $1,849.51. I pledge that those funds will be sent to wherever Tim and Nancy’s attorney instructs.

> Now, let's get to the full story. > This is where I take and accept full responsibility, because I did not take priority into reaching out to the family about these funds. It sounds really bad, and I’m not denying that it sounds bad at all, but it is the god's honest truth. I kept forgetting and kept procrastinating as I was dealing with a lot at the business around this time. The restaurant had a lot of struggles around this time that nearly put us out of business, all while I was having to physically work at the restaurant all day 7 days a week. I was served a legal document via certified mail after a couple of months, even though it only felt like a couple of days with how busy I was. I immediately made several attempts to contact their attorney, and we kept playing phone tag with voicemails left for each other. After not hearing back from their attorney, I thought the case was dropped. In my final attempt to contact their attorney, I left my email address to the office assistant, stating that reaching me that way is going to be the best way, and that we could set up a time to meet through that. I believe I sent the exact same message to his direct line via voicemail as well. In my thoughts, I would just put this aside and continue working on my business, and I would get back to it once they make another attempt to reach out to me, hopefully setting a date to meet by email. It was just completely forgotten about ever since, until just recently when KY3 reached out to me. I was hit by surprise, but I opted to accept the interview so I could share my story. >
I have their donations and I am willing to do whatever the family is asking me to do with it. I am just waiting for a green light from their attorney. And yes, I have finally been able to contact their attorney. I went straight to their office the day KY3 reached out which helped me get a response. Right before the interview, I had a phone call with their attorney and he told me to go ahead and share my story with KY3 and then wait until the story airs. Afterwards, he will be in touch and let me know how the family wants to proceed with the money. If I don’t hear from him by Wednesday, I’ll reach out.

> I had no bad intentions, and I accept full responsibility for my lack of communication. In simple words, it was an honest mistake. I procrastinated and I will make it right by the family, should they allow me. A lesson was learned, and I will never make the same mistake again. I can only ask for forgiveness, and promise that I will continue to only do good by my friends, family, customers, and this loving community of Springfield that I have been so proud to be a part of. Although I may be receiving some negative responses from this, it will not prevent me from continuing to do what I do best. I will just be more careful going forward and making sure that I am not overloading myself with work. One of the biggest points I wanted to make was that none of this was a publicity stunt. The one thing KY3 is displaying that I strongly disagree with, is that I used their family name for personal gain. That is not true in the slightest. > My heart goes out to Tim and Nancy and I am here should they want my help for anything. I am truly sorry for this. I am always trying to contribute to the community when people are in need. It’s unfortunate that this time around I have let Tim and Nancy down. I made a mistake and I will make it right. I am truly sorry for their loss, something that I cannot personally fathom. I promise to everyone that there was only good intentions behind all of this and please know that my heart was in the right place.

> I will answer questions in the comments, but I will avoid anyone that’s rude. I have nothing to hide, but I just don’t feel like “getting into it” with anyone being hostile. > Thank you for hearing me out