UNNAMED GIRL - 4 yo (7/2014)/ Charged: Mother; Ronisha Woodard - Hartford CT

Hartford mother charged with leaving 4-year-old home alone

Posted: Jul 22, 2014 9:15 AM CDT
Updated: Jul 22, 2014 11:11 AM CDT
By Joseph Wenzel IV, News Editor - email

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) -  A mother in Hartford was arrested after police said she left her 4-year-old daughter home alone and the child ended up wandering down a street in the capital city on Saturday afternoon.

Officers were called to Enfield Street after neighbors told police that a young child was walking alone in the streets around 1:30 p.m. Once officers arrived, the child was able to explain to them where she lived.

The officers went to the home where no parent, guardian or relative was located. The girl told police that her mother "had left her home the night before and had not returned."

The girl added that Saturday's incident was not the first time she was left alone.

Officers searched the area for the missing mother while they rushed the child to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford for observation. Police said there were no injuries to the child.

Members of the Special Investigative Division and Major Crimes Division assisted in the search, but the mother was not located.

About an hour and a half later, officials at CCMC were contacted by the mother, who was later identified as 24-year-old Ronisha Woodard. She told hospital officials that she was in New Haven and would be returning to Hartford.

Woodard was interviewed by police at CCMC where she told investigators that she was doing someone's hair in New Haven and that was her only source of income.

Woodard was  charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor.

Officials with Connecticut Department of Children and Families were told about the incident and have the child in their custody.

http://www.wfsb.com/story/26080295/2014/07/22/hartford-mother-charged-with-leaving-4-year-old-home-alone