CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Charleston woman is facing criminal charges after her 2-year-old son was found wandering alone in the Capitol City Saturday for the second time in as many days.
Freda Gilmore, 20, was charged with felony child neglect.
She allegedly told Charleston police she had been drinking and passed out Saturday morning after asking another man to keep an eye on the child.
When that man fell asleep, the boy left the home and was spotted by a neighbor, who called police.
Reports indicate Gilmore did not have legal custody of the boy. She had picked him up on Friday after a separate wandering incident in which the boy had been found out alone at the Patrick Street Plaza.
He reportedly had wandered away Friday when his uncle fell asleep. The uncle had been watching him because the boy’s grandmother, who had custody, was in the hospital.
No charges were filed against the uncle because Charleston police said he was sober at the time and they believed the Friday incident was an accident.
The toddler is now in the custody of Child Protective Services.