Mom Arrested Twice in Two Days When Toddler Found Wandering

Alexandra Watkins of Aloha, Oregon was arrested two times in two days after her 2 year-old was found wandering in the street wearing only a diaper.

On Monday of last week a TriMet bus driver saw the toddler walking down the sidewalk of a busy street.  He called police, but Watkins arrived and took the toddler away before police arrived.

On Wednesday morning, Walter Bates biking to work when he saw the toddler coming out of the driveway. He raced to stop her from entering the street. He walked with the toddler to the nearby apartment to search for the mother.

Witnesses say the child was cold, wearing only a diaper, and they found warm clothes for her. Four police officers searched the complex for Watkins.

Watkins, 23, was arrested again just eleven hours after being released from the arrest on Monday. She is charged with two counts of misdemeanor child neglect.

Sadly, these two incidents are not the only times the toddler has been found walking outside alone.  The sheriff's office say they know of at least two other occasions.




Her family and friends support her and say that she is not at fault.  Sharon Watkins said, "My sister watches her kids.  My sister is a damn good mom".

Brandy Gornick is a friend and she says "It's not the mother's fault.  "She was sleeping at 3:30 a.m." "Alex is a great mom -- an amazing mom".

Watkins' family and friends say the first time the toddler "got out", they called maintenance and it was "all on maintenance".  They said she tried to get the complex to "fix the door" by installing a child-proof lock.  Now they say they did it themselves "so it's fixed now".

Watkins appeared before a judge and pleaded not guilty to two counts of second degree child neglect.  She is in jail and her family is trying to raise $5,000 to get her released.  DHS removed the two year-old and a 3 year-old from the home and placed them with a family member.


Watkins is at fault and should be charged. After the first time the toddler was found walking the street, she should have changed the lock immediately.

But she waited for maintenance to install a child-proof lock. (Is maintenance even responsible for installing child-proof locks?).  In the interim, the child continued to get out and if not for the kindness of strangers, she could have been kidnapped or killed.

Peace

Source: http://beaverton.katu.com/news/news/475426-my-sister-damn-good-mom

 

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