How young is too young?

[Carsman]

Taken from: http://www.wjbf.com/story/25915218/north...ds-a-child

A North Augusta mother has been charged with Unlawful Conduct Towards a Child.

Debra Lynn Harrell, 46, of the 1200 block of Weston Street, was charged after it was found that she left her 9-year-old daughter to play in a park while she was at work. She was arrested Monday afternoon.

According to a North Augusta Department of Public Safety (NADPS) police report, a woman noticed a small black girl playing at a park on the 700 block of Old Edgefield Road, in North Augusta, around 9:30 a.m. Monday morning.

The woman told an officer she did not notice an adult in the area. She said she left the park to go to work. The woman said the little girl was still at the park when she got off of work.

The woman said she asked the little girl where her parents was, and the little girl reportedly told her that her mother dropped her off at the park Monday morning before going to work. The child reportedly went on to tell the woman that she is dropped off all the time to play at the park while her mother is at work.

When the woman asked the little girl what she eats for lunch, the girl said the "Feed A Child" people come by or she walks over to McDonalds in Wal-Mart.

The officer met with the child and the child told the officer the same story about being dropped off at the park. The child also told the officer that no adult was at the park with her.

The child was taken to NADPS headquarters. Harrell was contacted by officers and, once she arrived, was questioned and confessed to left her child.

Harrell was booked on the charged with Unlawful Conduct Towards a Child. The South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) took custody of the little girl.

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I really don't get it. Arresting the mother for working?

My kids were alone outside at 9 years old. They'd check in every few hours (like the girl did, going to the McD's for lunch). I guess that means I'm a bad mother too.

IMO, unfortunately, in today's world, there are way many weirdos out there that could harm that child. Especially if no one else was around, as what seemed to be the case. The mother set a pattern dropping her off, and fortunately for the little girl no weirdo got to her first! In a perfect world, it would not be a problem.