A Louisiana mother was taken into police custody after her young child was found wandering around on his or her own. She is charged with a single count for child desertion. A judge set her bond at $25,000, which she apparently has not posted yet. However, time spent in police custody can still be used to work on one’s criminal defense plan.
On the morning of May 23, 2020, police responded to a call about an unsupervised 2-year-old child. The person who notified police had apparently found the young child wandering around near his or her home. Authorities tried to locate the child’s parents but were unsuccessful at doing so. They ultimately called the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) who took the child.
The mother did not call 911 until four hours later, when she finally reported that her child was missing from her home. The 34-year-old woman told authorities that she had slept until about 11 a.m. and assumed that her son or daughter was still sleeping. She did not realize that he or she was missing until 1 p.m. It is not clear how the young child might have escaped the home.
Criminal charges involving children are treated very seriously in Louisiana. Parents who are accused of acts such as child desertion can face steep legal consequences like jail time or even temporarily losing custody of their children. Since there is so much on the line, defendants should be sure to prioritize their criminal defense plans in as timely a manner as possible.
