Friday, September 22, 2000
Friday, September 22, 2000 |
| Rescue of infant
in woods leads to arrest of mother
By JOHN MUNFORD A Peachtree City woman has been arrested for abandoning her 10-month-old son in a wooded area near the police station Sunday night. Melecia Bailey, 30, was arrested Monday for one felony count of cruelty to children and a misdemeanor count of interference with child custody. At the time of the incident, the boy's grandmother had legal custody of him, said Maj. Mike DuPree of the Peachtree City Police Department. The boy was crying, which alerted a nearby citizen who was walking to work on a nearby cart path, DuPree said. The citizen used the call box in front of the police station to report the incident. Police believe Bailey took her son from the nursery at First Baptist Church, according to the incident report filed on the matter. The child didn't appear injured after a check by the Peachtree City Fire and Rescue Department, DuPree said. Police officers took custody of the boy while the Department of Family and Children Services was notified, he added. Though the child's appearance originally baffled authorities, the case didn't take long to solve, DuPree said. "It was easy when the relative (who had custody of the child) came by the Police Department to find out if we knew anything about the child," DuPree said. It was fortunate the baby was found soon because it was cold outside Sunday night, DuPree said. "Especially on a cool night like that and also because the child was situated so close to the creek," DuPree added. DuPree said he was told that Bailey said she dropped off the child because it was too difficult for her to take care of the youth. DuPree did not know why the grandmother had been awarded custody of the child.
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