COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) – A 51-year-old grandmother was arrested Sunday afternoon for child neglect.
According to the Columbus Police Department, officers were sent to the Commons Mall playground around 4:40 p.m. after reports of a welfare check.
When officers arrived, they spoke to the caller who said a child had feces on his hands and was playing on the playground alone. The caller told police no one checked on the child, and later that day she and the other adults at the playground searched for a parent or guardian. The woman said she called police after a parent or guardian couldn’t be found.
When officers arrived, the child was transported to the Columbus Police Department. Later on, the Department of Child Services arrived.
After 5:30 p.m., the child’s grandmother, Brenda Fox of Columbus, arrived at the police station. She told police she never saw officers at the playground and that no one approached her about her grandchild.
Officers said during her interview, she appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic.
Fox was taken into custody and transported to the Bartholomew County Jail on a preliminary charge of neglect of a dependent.
The child was released to custody of his parents.