On behalf of The Walters Law Group, Ltd. posted in Child Custody on Saturday, June 1, 2013.
An Illinois woman will face neglect charges after one of her small children was found crossing a busy road while the other was alone in a car. Witnesses saw a three-year-old girl crossing the street, and she appeared to be coming from a restaurant. A motorist reportedly stopped and walked the girl across the street and attempted to determine why she was on the street alone. The situation eventually culminated in Child Protective Services taking temporary child custody of the children.
The girl’s mother emerged from the restaurant a short while after the girl had been found by the passerby. A witness then walked the girl back across the street and returned her to her mother. Another witness approached the woman’s car to prevent her from leaving before emergency personnel arrived. The male witness then noticed the woman’s one-year-old boy in the car alone while the woman and the girl were back inside the restaurant. The man removed the boy from the car, which had all the windows up and unlocked doors. The mother then returned and attacked the man.
The mother reportedly told police that she had planned to meet a man she met online at the restaurant. However, the man never appeared. Nevertheless, the mother allegedly left the two children in the car while she went inside the restaurant to use a phone and to charge her phone. The woman was taken to jail, and the children were taken into CPS custody.
A parent may lose custody of his or her child if he or she is found to have endangered or abused the child. In this case, the woman was caught endangering her children by leaving them in a car alone. The police report and witness statements, along with the mother’s arrest on felony child neglect charges, may be helpful in the event that the children’s father or another family members wishes to take custody of the children. People who suspect child neglect and wish to challenge child custody arrangements my find it helpful to have the assistance of a lawyer who specializes in family law.
Source: Courier Press, “Illinois woman accused of neglect”, Abbey Doyle, May 26, 2013