Monday, April 8, 2013
Mom Jailed For Leaving Toddler Home Alone
A Lawrenceburg woman was jailed during the weekend after she reportedly left home, leaving her toddler alone.
Deanna Nichole Owens, 20, of 310 Hoover Street was incarcerated at the Lawrence County Detention Center in the early hours Sunday on charges of aggravated child neglect, violation of the financial responsibility law and second offense driving on a revoked license.
Reports filed through the Lawrenceburg Police Department show that the child’s father called for assistance Saturday, shortly before midnight. He reported that he had been contacted by a neighbor regarding his seventeen month old daughter.
The neighbor reported hearing a child “crying and screaming inside the house” after seeing Owens leave the residence.
The father told officers that he had knocked on the door and telephoned Owens repeatedly, but had been unable to make contact. He said that he looked through all the doors and windows. When he could locate no one, he telephoned for police assistance.
Officers contacted officials with the Lawrenceburg Housing Authority. Due to the child’s age they asked to be allowed to enter the home in order to conduct a welfare check.
Once inside, officers report finding several candles burning throughout the house. The toddler was found in a crib, inside a bedroom with the door closed.
Officers also noted that there were several bottles of prescription medications sitting about on counters throughout the house.
An emergency referral was made to the Department of Children’s Services and the child was later released into the custody of her grandmother.
According to reports, officers made a traffic stop when they found Owens driving near the Hoover Street/ Smith Avenue intersection shortly after 1:00 a.m. They report that Owens and her sister were inside the vehicle at the time.
When an officer went to Owens’ home later to discuss the matter with her, he says she had gotten into another vehicle and was again leaving the residence.
The officer conducted a second traffic stop. When he asked Owens about her child being left alone he reports that she first claimed she had left the child in the custody of her sister, and that her sister had “left the residence for a few minutes to go to a friend’s house.”
When the officer pointed out that she had just been stopped with her sister inside the vehicle he reports she admitted that, “She was lying…she had left with a friend to go to the store and took the back roads and got lost.”
Owens was incarcerated under a bond of $12,000. She is scheduled to answer the charges in Lawrence County General Sessions Court on May 2, 2013.
