Tennessee – A Tennessee parent, 33-year-old SheIby was arrested earlier this week and charged with feIony chiId negIect after allegedly Ieaving her chiId alone for nearly ten hours.According to jail records from the Sheriff’s Office, the parent now faces charges of chiId abuse and negIect.
The incident came to light when maintenance workers at the apartment compIex where the parent lived conducted a scheduled check and found the 2-year-old alone in her crib. Police were called to the scene, and the parent returned to the apartment approximately ten hours later, where she was met by officers. Body camera footage from the encounter shows the defendant appearing confused and unaware of the situation.
According to WKRN, in her statements to the responding officers, she explained that she had driven approximately thirty minutes away to visit a man. She claimed that her daughter usually sIeeps through the night and that she expected to return before the child woke up. The parent also mentioned that she is a full-time mother and needed a break, having been unable to find anyone to assist her the previous night.
Police said it’s doubtful the child slept through the night because of severe weather and thunderstorms in the area. She made statements that she is a full-time mother and needed a break and that she had tried to rely on others the night before, but wasn’t able to find anybody.
Detective CheIini of the local plice department confirmed these details, noting that the parent had expressed the need for a break due to the challenges of full-time motherhood. She was taken into custody and is currently being held on a $25,000 bond.
The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services is investigating the case, and the child has been placed with relatives. the mother is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.