Another Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids in Park

A Florida mother faces criminal charges for letting her children walk to a park to play unsupervised.

This time the mom hails from Winter Haven where police say they found four children between the ages of 6 and 8 at a nature park on their own, according to an agency press release. A police officer on patrol in Lake Maude Nature Park saw the children, but no adult and stopped for a time to watch them.

Before long, she noticed one of the children waving her over, the release said. As it turned out, the 8-year-old boy got stuck in a swing for toddlers and the city’s fire department had to get him out.

“His legs were caught between the seat divider and the child was becoming more and more upset,” the release said. “The officer attempted to free the child, but was unable to do so.”

The incident happened around noon Tuesday. The officer who first spotted the unsupervised children stuck around after the boy was freed from the swing and attempted to find a parent. When asked, the children were reportedly unable to say where they lived.

After a time, the kids told the officer they had walked to the park themselves. Shortly after that, the children’s mother, Ashley Richardson, 28, arrived at the park after having visited a local food bank.

Richardson was charged with four counts of negligent child abuse, according to police.

Winter Haven Police Chief Gary said his officer had reason to be concerned.

“For anyone to think it is okay to allow small children to walk almost a half mile alone across a heavily-traveled road, not to mention left in unsafe conditions, is criminal and will not be ignored,” he is quoted in a department media release as saying.

This isn’t the first case of its kind in recent weeks in Florida. In July, a 34-year-old mother from Port St. Lucie was arrested for letting her 7-year-old walk to a park alone. Nicole Gainey faces felony charges in that case.

Her lawyer, John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute in Virginia, however, has said she’ll plead not guilty.

“Something has shifted and now we’re in the middle of a dangerous societal trend of arresting parents for noncriminal activities,” CNN quoted him as saying.

Another recent case came out of South Carolina where mother Debra Harrell was arrested for letting her 9-year-old daughter play at a park close to her place of employment.

What age do you think is appropriate for leaving a child unsupervised? Tell us by commenting below!